Quarter Life Crisis
by thedarknessofthemoon
Summary: The story revolves around Bella and her roommates, Alice & Rose, as they are coming upon their 25th birthday. Their world gets flipped upside down by the people they meet along the way. AH/AU. Canon Pairings. Rated M for Lemonade's later on.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **This story takes place during the present day, Chicago. AH, AU.

Special shout out to BellaWhitlock51 for being my Beta even when she was sick! Thank you!!

**­Quarter Life Crisis**

Chapter 1:

Bella's heels pounded into the pavement as she quickly darted off to the Clark and Fullerton 'L' stop. She could hear the train approaching and quickly waved her pass at the turn style. Breathlessly, she made a mad dash up the steps and slid into the closing doors of the brown line. She sat down in an empty chair to catch her breath. Bella always loved riding the L. It gave her a different perspective as she felt like she was at live museum watching the world go on around her. Snaking through the city to her destination: The Loop.

At each stop new people would crowd onto the 'L' tightening in the space around her, it started to get very crammed. She made a mental note to leave a bit earlier tomorrow to avoid the rush of the morning commute. Every possible space that could be occupied on the train was, by at least two or three people. Wondering how she was going to ever get off the train when she finally was approaching her stop. Bella stood to maneuver through the web of bodies and arms holding tightly to whatever they could reach. Bella ducked under the arm of an unsuspecting tall man reading the paper and stood next to the door as the train pulled up to her station; Washington and Wells. The door flew open and almost everyone poured out of the train immediately taking Bella with, like a herd of cattle.

"Hey, watch it!" said a strange man knocking into her as passengers rushed in and out to of the train car.

"Sorry," she muttered under her breath.

Dusting herself off, Bella threw her shoulders back confidently. This was the first day of her new job as a junior designer at the prestigious Architectural Design Firm, C. Designs, or "C" which it was commonly know as. The "C" of course stood for last name of world renowned Architect, Carlisle Cullen.

"_You can do this." _she thought to herself.

Bella pulled the heavy glass door of the main building lobby and drew in another breath of confidence. This was her dream job. Bella had graduated top of her class with a Bachelors in Interior Architecture. During school she managed to land several internships with very prominent firms. She had many job offers when she graduated and ended up staying on with one of the firms she had interned with. It was a great place to work, but she knew it was not the place she needed to be to really grow in her career. So, she applied on a whim to the most prestigious design firm in Chicago, perhaps even the world. She was shocked when she was called for an interview last month, and even more shocked when they offered her a position. Now, here she was, ready to start a brand new chapter in her life.

She approached the security desk, where an older man with big thick-rimmed glasses sat in a black office chair.

"Good morning sir, my name is Bella Swan, this is my first day at C. Designs so I don't have a security pass yet," she said politely.

"Alright, Let's see here," he slowly got up from his position and reached over to a clipboard and flipped over several sheets of paper. "No miss, I don't see your name here. Let me try and call up."

"Ok thanks." She replied waiting nervously for him while he called up. She tried not to let her anxiousness get to her.

_You can do this, you can do this. This is your dream Bella Swan. _

"Miss-" Bella spun on heel not realizing how caught up in her thoughts she had been. " You may go up, 22nd floor. "

"Thank you." she said and walked down to the second set of elevators that would take her up to the appropriate floor. For the first time she took a moment looked around the lobby as she waited for the elevator to arrive. It was exquisite, the detailing of the marble floor made a distinct lineal pattern that was congruent with the reveals in the stainless steel panels on the walls of the elevator core. The lighting was recessed, yet provided a dramatic effect. It was sleek, modern and sophisticated, definitely a design by 'C'. Her phone beeped with a new text message as she stepping into the elevator. Flipping open the phone, she saw a message from Alice:

"_Break a leg 2day! You'll be brilliant! Celebrate after work?"_

"_Thanks! Definitely! Text you later with an update. -B." _Bella punched into her phone. Alice was her oldest and best friend. They had known each other since grade school and although they ended up going to different high schools and colleges their friendship had lasted the test of time.

The doors of the elevator glided open as Bella reached the twenty-second floor.

_You're good enough, your smart enough, and gosh-darn it, people like you. _She laughed to herself repeating the mantra from "Stuart Smally" a classic SNL persona. She walked down the hall to the full height glass doors with stainless steel pulls. Wrapping her small fingers around the door pull, Bella anxiously pushed the door open and stepped into the reception area of C. Designs.

"Hi, I'm –"

"Bella Swan." the receptionist abruptly interrupted her. "Let me show you to your desk," She stood up, and quickly walked ahead of Bella not seeming to notice if she was following or not. "The weekly staff meeting in is 30 minutes in the conference room." she continued. "Do you want me to show you where the coffee is?"

They reached her new work area, an empty workstation with a computer, phone, and pencil holder with the basics.

"Thank you," Bella said as she sat down in her chair. "I'll think I'll be able to manage."

"Ok good, I should get back my desk, the phones must be going crazy," she replied. "Oh, and your login information is on that post-it."

Bella glanced down at her watch to check the time, she should have enough time to get settled in and grab a cup of coffee before her first staff meeting. She grabbed the post if off the computer screen and started up her computer. While she waited, Bella glanced around the office to take in the space around her. The office took up the entire twenty-second floor of the building and half of the twenty-third floor. Although she hadn't been up there, the twenty-third floor was where all the executives and head designers had offices. Ranked by A&D magazine as the fastest growing company last year, Bella estimated that there were probably five hundred or so total people on staff.

When her computer finally loaded up Bella logged on and set up her email and contacted the IT department about licensing computer aided drafting programs to her computer so that she would be ready to jump right into projects when she needed to. Glancing down at her watch again Bella got up to find the break room for a quick cup of coffee to bring to the weekly staff meeting.

Arriving a few minutes early, Bella was able to secure a seat a bit closer to the back of the conference room. Not wanting to draw attention to herself when it was unnecessary, she just wanted to sit quietly and observe her first meeting. Bella sipped at her coffee while her fellow employees began to file into the conference room all chatting in small groups about their previous weekend escapades.

"I like your blouse." said a girl with brown hair sitting next to Bella.

"Oh thank you, I got it on sale from H&M." she replied.

"I'm Jessica, I work in the environmental group. You must be new here I don't recognize you. C. Designs is a big firm, but it's like a big family, everyone here knows everyone and _everything_ if you get my drift." She continued. "What group are you working for?"

"I believe I'm going to be working with some of the national corporate accounts. I'm not entirely sure, this is my first day." Said Bella.

"Oh wow, your first day? And your working the on the national accounts, huh… Well, let me know if you need anything, I'm the eyes and ears of this place." Jessica said with a smug look on her face.

"Definitely." said Bella, turning to look at the front of the conference where Carlisle Cullen was taking his position, as the meeting was about to begin. Carlisle was a tall, good looking, dignified man. He definitely did not look as old as he probably was. He had an air about him. He seemed secure, calm and was able to command the room's attention without a word.

"Good morning everyone. Let's dial in to the conference call to the other offices." Carlisle punched in the conference call number and passcode into the phone on the table. Leaning over he spoke into the phone.

"Good morning, Chicago office here. Who's on the line?" He asked.

"Phoenix here."

"LA here."

"London here, Good afternoon!"

"Mexico City here."

"New York."

"Howdy! Dallas here."

"Barcelona here."

"Seattle." They all replied in order. Bella knew that C. Designs was an international firm known for the work they did all over the world and that they had offices around the globe.

"Alright. Let's begin, as you know we have these monthly meetings when all the offices dial in for a conference call to get an update on the company. Chicago office, we will have our weekly meeting after the conference call." Began Carlisle. He updated the offices on several large projects that they had been awarded as well as projects they were chasing and clients that they were trying to get in with.

"So, that's what we are looking at people. One more thing, and I'll let you get back to work. As you all know, my son, Edward, was out in Seattle the last year helping get the new office up and running. Because of the new Olympic bid for Chicago we have asked him to come back here to manage the master planning and design of that project. This is going to the biggest job we have chased yet and could mean great things for this company. We are going to be forming a special group just for this project, so you will find out in the next few days if you are apart of that team. Okay then, that's all I got." Carlisle hung up the phone and turned to address the rest of the conference room.

"I was hoping that Edward would be here to introduce him to all of you. However, his flight was cancelled last night, and he had to catch a red eye so he won't be here until later. Alright, let's get updated on the project schedules then."

Carlisle listened as each of the project managers went around the room and updated the team on the weekly status of various projects, pursuits, and any issues that they might be having with difficult clients or consultants. Bella did her best to scribble down as many notes as she could, as she didn't know who she would be working with yet, she thought it might be best to take notes on everything, just in case.

Jessica looking bored leaned over Bella's shoulder and whispered. "I hear that Edward Cullen is just as delicious as Carlisle, and he's not married. He also is known to be really stuck up, apparently nobody is good enough for him to last more than a week."

Bella did her best to ignore Jessica's incessant gossip. She really did not care about the personal lives of people she didn't know. Especially someone who was her superior. She just replied with a "mm-hm" and tried to focus back on her notes when she heard her name.

"Miss Bella Swan?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes?" She asked, wondering what she has just missed due to Jessica's distraction.

"I was just saying how we were welcoming one more promising designer to our firm." He said with a smile in his eyes.

"Oh, thank you. I'm glad to be apart of the team." A rush of blood ran to Bella's cheek's as the CEO had called her out in a conference room full of people she did not know.

"You are going to be working with Emmett's group with some of the national accounts. I hear you have a background working with several prestigious banks, who were very please with the work you did for them." Carlisle continued.

Bella looked over to the man seated to the right of Carlisle who gave her a friendly wave. From the seated position Bella could see that Emmett was a man of large stature. His shoulders were thick, wide and very muscular from what she could tell beneath his dress shirt. He had a bright face and twinkling smile with a dimple on his left cheek. He gave Bella a quick wink.

"You and me are going to have some good times Bella." He laughed.

Bella gave him a nod, still blushing beet red.

"Well, that's all we have today. Thank you everyone for you time." concluded Carlisle. Immediately everyone stood and began to file out of the conference room. Bella gathered her things and straightened out her skirt with her hand as she stood. With her head down she tried to quickly get to her desk without anyone noticing her.

With a sigh Bella sat down at her desk. Trying to forget about being called out for not paying attention during her first meeting. Biting on her bottom lip, Bella finished unpacking her things and setting up her desk. She heard her phone vibrate on her desk, and flipped it open.

_"Talked to Rosalie. Girl's night 2night! Meet us at Martini Park at 7! -Alice"_

_"Sounds good. See you then. Need a drink bad. Already managed to embarrass myself before noon. –B" _Bella typed into her phone and set it down right as it buzzed again.

_"What? Tell me! -Alice"_

_"Nvrmind. Tell you tonight. Got to get back to work -B" _

"There's a strict no personal cell phone use policy while at work, Bella." Bella jumped in her seat and spun in her chair to see Emmett leaning against her desk, one arm perched on the wall of her workstation and his legs crossed at the ankle.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. It was just my girlfriend checking up on me for my first day." Bella said nervously.

"Girlfriend huh?" Emmett asked arching his eyebrow; he took in Bella's desk, which was now displaying a few personal mementos and pictures of her and some friends.

"Ah, no. Wait, I meant my friend, who is a girl. We live together. I mean- she's my roommate. I mean-" Bella stumbled to find her words, "I'm not a lesbian!" She blurted out, quickly covering her mouth with her hand with the shock of what she just said.

"Ha ha, I'm just messing with you Swan. We don't care about phones or sexual orientation for that matter. Heck, we _are_ designers. All we care about is if you get your work done and done well." he chuckled. "You ran off without me getting to talk to you about some of projects we will be working on."

"Oh, sorry."

"No worries. Well, it's going to take some time to get you fully integrated into all the accounts we have and what we have going on at the time. So let's set up a meeting to sit down and go over things some time this week. Check my calendar and send me an invite. In the meantime, I'm going to have you start doing some research for a design presentation we have next week. It's a big client and we really want to blow them out of the water." He told her.

"It's a new Internet company and they are going to be looking to lease about 100,000 square feet of office space in several of the buildings downtown. We need to get together some ideas for their space, and do some test fits in the different buildings to see where they are best suited. I'll email you the info on the company so you can get cracking." He said with a wide smile and a wink.

"Sounds great. I'll get right on it." Bella replied.

"Perfect. I know we're going to be a great team. I'll introduce you to the rest of the group later." Said Emmett as he glanced down at his blackberry and started to walk down the hallway. "I'll be back around noon to grab you for your first mentoring lunch. Got to run."

Bella turned back to her computer and began to work on the tasks assigned to her. She was excited to get cracking and was determined to do a great job on her first assignment.

*********

As soon as his plane hit the runway Edward was itching to turn on his phone. He waited until the flight attendant gave the word and started flipping through his emails. He had a lot of work to catch up on and was anxious to get to the office.

Edward straightened out his charcoal gray suit and raked his hands through his bronze hair to fix the messy disarrayed look he had perfected over years of working long hours. He glanced down at his Rolex to check the time; he would be able to make the kick off meeting this afternoon for the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid meeting if he hurried. Luckily, he was seated in first class and only had a carry on.

The plane taxied into the gate and Edward gathered his things. Most of his personal belongings were already waiting for him at his apartment. Because he knew he would only be in Seattle for a short period of time, he had rented a fully furnished apartment and brought only clothes with him when he moved west. Edward had already fed-ex'd his clothes to back his apartment in the Gold Coast.

He rushed off the plane and through O'Hare airport to find his driver waiting for him. Hopping in the backseat, Edward continued the endless task for going through his inbox and replying to emails that needed immediate attention. It had been a long time since he was in Chicago, he thought to himself. Even though his family was here, he had hard time coming back after everything that had happened.

_This time will be different. _Edward thought to himself. Edward had decided that he was going to be completely focused on work and would do his father, the company, and the city of Chicago proud with this project.

The car slowed as it approached the office on Madison Avenue. Edward thanked his driver as he jumped out of the car and made his way to the building lobby. He flashed his security pass to the security guard at the front desk and nodded.

"Edward!" said the old man. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks Al. It's nice to be back in the windy city." He said as he headed down to the bank of elevators that would bring him up to his office. Glancing down at his watch he changed his mind and decided that he wouldn't have time to stop in his office before the meeting, so he hit the button for the twenty-second floor. Finally reaching his destination, he took long strides down the hall. Edward approached the reception area and yanked the door open.

"Mr. Cullen. You're back? Welcome back." Said the receptionist as she quickly straightened her back and fixed her hair.

"Thanks Denise." Replied Edward, not making eye contact with one of the girls he was hoping to avoid as much as possible.

He headed down the hall to the main conference room and turned the corner when something soft and small collided his chest and then something wet.

"Shit!" he cried. Looking down at his shirt, which was now covered in coffee. He then noticed a small brunette with large brown eyes was on the floor, also covered in coffee with empty cup in her hand. "You couldn't watch where you're going?" The girl got to her feet quickly, he noticed how her face was bright red and that her white blouse was now revealing more than it should with wet coffee across her chest.

"I'm so sorry, I should have watched where I was going. Let me grab a paper towel for you." Said the girl as she turned to head to the break room.

"No, just forget it. I'm already late." He said with a huff. Edward stepped around the girl leaving her in his wake and headed to the conference room with a coffee stained shirt and a bad attitude.

***

Thanks for reading this! I know it's a bit of a cliff hanger, but I promise the story will be worth sticking with :)

Please Review!!! It re-fuels me and I type much faster...


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to RachelCullen77 for being my lovely Beta! xoxo!

*********

Bella glanced down at her shirt and wondered what the hell had just happened. She had just put the cherry on top of the worst possible first day of work ever.

She had just been heading back to her desk with a little afternoon pick me up, when then next thing she knew, she was on her backside and covered in a hot liquid with a brooding Greek god standing over her. Stunned by his handsomeness, she couldn't find the will to move, until he opened his mouth and berated her. Picking herself up off the floor, Bella tried to suppress the tears that were willing to come. Then just as quickly as it all happened, he stormed off without a backwards glance.

Still in shock, Bella managed to make her way to the women's restroom to try and rectify her shirt situation. She blotted at it with a wet paper towel the best she could. Realizing it was a lost cause she finally gave up.

For the remainder of the afternoon Bella focused on her work. Finally, she decided to pack up her things and head out to meet the girls at Martini Park, for a much needed cocktail.

It was a warm September evening, so she decided to walk. She pulled out her ipod from her bag, and stuck the buds in her ears. As she walked down the streets of Chicago, she reflected on the events of the day. The day wasn't all bad she mused. She remembered how Emmett had made her laugh until it hurt at lunch. She mulled over some project ideas she was throwing around for the internet project… and then she thought about that fierce set of golden eyes.

She finally reached Martini Park, arriving a few minutes early. She grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a cosmopolitan. Sipping her drink as she waited for the girls to arrive, Bella took in the space around her.

Her profession had made her a creature of habit; she would always take the time to study the interior of any space she was in. Her attention to detail was definitely one of her strengths. She was caught up in studying the lighting of the bar when Alice and Rosalie sat down on either side of her.

"Well hello there 'Miss Designer Woman!' Whoa, what happened to your shirt?" asked Alice as she pointed to the huge coffee stain on Bella's t-shirt.

"Oh gosh, don't even ask," Bella replied.

"Seriously girl, how was your first day?" asked Rosalie as she cued the bartender.

Bella sighed and said, "Well, it started off okay. I'll be working with Emmett McCarty on some of the national accounts they have. He's a pretty funny guy. I think I'll enjoy working with him. He's already got me rolling on a large project that I'm excited to sink my teeth into."

"Is he someone you'd like to sink your teeth into?" winked Rosalie.

"Ha! No. I mean he's cute for sure. Not my type though, you would probably think he's hot."

"Really?" Rosalie asked as she perked up.

"Let Bella finish and then we can talk boys," Alice interjected.

"Ok, what was I saying? Oh yeah, I did happen to meet the office viper, Jessica. She sat next to me at our staff meeting. She seemed nice, and then she kept going on about members of the staff during the meeting. So, of course she distracts me when Carlisle Cullen, the CEO, is introducing me to the group and I look like I'm not paying attention. I really hope they don't think I'm vacuous or something," she told them.

"Oh, I'm sure they don't think that," said Alice patting her knee.

"So at what pointed did you enter a wet t-shirt contest?" Rosalie tossed back a tequila shot and slammed it on the bar.

"Whoa girl, when did we start the heavy drinking?" asked Bella as she just noticed the line of tequila shots waiting to be consumed.

"It's a Monday." She shrugged. "Now spill- oh wait- looks like you already have."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Bella replied sarcastically.

"I'm still waiting here," said Alice.

"Okay- Okay. Well, the rest of my day was going all right. Emmett took me to lunch and gave me a run down of the office. Then later that afternoon, I went to go grab another cup of coffee before I started cranking out some sketches, when I collided with some guy and spilled coffee all over the both of us. We hit so hard I fell flat on my butt. I felt so awful I spilled on him and he just yelled at me and stormed off. I don't even know who he was. I think he might've been a client for all I know, because he went directly to the conference," she told them.

"What an asshole. He should've watched where he was going," remarked Rosalie.

"I don't know about that, I mean it was my fault. I should've been paying attention. So yeah, I got to wear a white blouse with a giant wet coffee stain on the front for the rest of the day. I can't wait to go home and change."

"You should've told me and I would have brought you a shirt!" said Alice.

"Its fine really, I've gotten used to it by now," replied Bella, "Anyway, tell me about your day."

"Roy and I are officially broken up," said Rosalie throwing back another shot.

"Really? For good this time?" asked Bella.

Rosalie and Royce, or Roy as everyone called him, had been dating on and off for several years now. Roy was a great guy, he was nice enough, but Rosalie never really seemed to be satisfied with him. Bella and Alice kind of felt bad for the guy, because he was head over heels for her.

Throughout the last year Rosalie would decide that she was going to dump him for good. At which point Rosalie would usually date the willing dopey-eyed dreamers that were lined up in her queue. However, Roy would pursue her relentlessly, buy her flowers everyday and send her gifts; that sort of thing. Bella and Alice usually didn't mind, because the house would smell so nice. He would keep it up, until she would eventually give in and she always did. They had broken up and gotten back together so many times, Alice and Bella were never really sure if she actually meant it or not.

"I just can't be with him anymore," Rosalie continued, "He doesn't make me happy and I'm sick of the relationship. Hey, maybe you can hook me up with this piece of deep dish?"

"Uh no way, I don't want to lose my job over your relationship drama," said Bella as she threw up her hands in defense.

"Sheesh- I was just joking. Its fine, I'm going to go back on that dating website and see if I can finally meet a decent guy in this city."

"Remind me again, why do you like going on that website? It's just a bunch of creepy guys looking to get laid," Alice asked.

"Hey, who says I'm not looking to do the same?" said Rosalie.

"Oh come on Rose, you're much better than that. You really want to be some guy's drunken mistake?"

"Trust me, I'm never a mistake. I'm the best decision anyone's ever made." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave Alice a smug look.

"Besides, not all of us can find our southern gentleman and live happily ever after Mrs. Whitlock," snapped Rosalie as she threw back the final shot and turned to order another.

The tension in the room had just gone up through the roof and Bella quickly tried to change the subject.

"Emmett thinks you're my lover Alice," she blurted out.

Both Rosalie's and Alice's eye's popped out as they yelled in unison, "What?!"

"He caught me texting you and I told him it was my girlfriend, and he looked at me with a questionable look in his eye. So I then I blurted out that you and I were living together, and tried to quickly correct myself by saying you were my roommate. I literally felt myself digging deeper into a hole, when I decided to shout, very loudly mind you, that I was NOT a lesbian. It was beyond mortifying," Bella laughed and took a sip of her Cosmo.

"Oh my gosh, that is hilarious," laughed Alice. "Jasper would get a kick out of _that_."

The girls enjoyed the rest of their night as they finished up their drinks and closed out their tab. They decided to hail a cab back to their apartment in Old Town. It was a renovated brownstone from the turn of the century. Alice had bought it a few years back and completely gutted it. With Bella and Rosalie's help they redesigned the interior. Bella had helped with the overall space plan and finishes. Not that Alice needed a whole lot of help; she had impeccable taste. Rosalie cut cost by helping with the installation of the electrical and plumbing. Rosalie was a bit of a wonder sometimes. Trying to make it as a print model and actress she could be a real priss at times, but if you ever had a leaky faucet or needed your electric re-wired, Rose would get down n' dirty and fix it right up.

*****

The rest of the week seemed to fly by for Bella. She had proposed several of her ideas to Emmett for their meeting next week. They settled on two of the schemes that they felt were the strongest and decided to proceed with those designs for the presentation. Emmett was doing a great job of coaching her and making her feel confident in her work.

For the first several presentations they would do together, he would do most of the talking, whilst having Bella support and observe his presentation style. Bella was more than okay with this arrangement; she felt that her strengths were in coming up with great ideas and executing successful design ideas, but she wasn't as comfortable with speaking and selling an idea to the clients.

Bella was wrapping up a few emails before clearing off her desk to leave the office for the weekend, when she heard Emmett pop into her cubicle and sit on the edge of her desk.

"Shut down your computer Swan, that's an order. We are going out for happy hour. If you have plans, cancel them," he commanded.

Bella turned in her chair to find Emmett looking at the photos on her desk again.

"See something you like Mr. McCarty?" Bella teased him.

"Yeah, maybe. Who's this blonde? Is this your _girlfriend?_" he said with a wink as he grabbed the photo from the corkboard and pointed to Rosalie.

"Ha. No, that would be Alice, the tiny pixie with dark hair on the other side of me. Rosalie is the blonde, and she's taken. Well, technically not at the moment, but give it a week or two and she'll be back with Roy," replied Bella as she sent off her last email and shut down her computer. Emmett put the photo back and secured it with a pushpin.

"So… how long have you and Alice been together?" He joked as they got up and made their way to the elevator.

"15 years or so, we actually grew up together in suburb of Chicago. We ended up going to different high schools though, I went to public school and she went to private. Then in college she went off to Georgia and then Harvard Law. She moved back a few years ago with her fiancé, Jasper Whitlock, whom she met at Harvard. He was there studying American history when he charmed her with his southern ways and decided they should live happily ever after," Bella concluded as they stepped in the building lobby.

"What a beautiful story," Emmett said pretending to wipe tears from his eyes. "Jasper Whitlock you said? Hm, I played football with a Jasper at the University of Texas. He was a pretty slim guy, but he could run like the wind," Emmett told her.

"I'm not sure where he went to undergrad, but it's probably the same guy. I don't think that there's a whole lot of Jaspers these days," Bella said.

"Oh man, if it is, I would love to see the guy. We used to tear it up back at UT. I'd have a lot of great stories for your little Alice." Emmett clapped his hands together with a loud laugh. "We will definitely all have to go out for a round of drinks."

They continued to walk down the street until Emmett stopped in front of a bar and swung the door open for Bella to walk in. Bella looked up to see where they had arrived.

"Stocks and Blondes? Seriously?" she asked.

"What? It's a good bar, and everyone from the office usually comes here on Fridays to unwind from a helluvah week." He led her over to a high top and pulled out the stool for her to sit down. Emmett grabbed another stool and sat down opposite Bella.

"Plus, it's a great way for you to actually meet the people we work with," he told her.

Bella glanced around the bar and recognized a handful of people she had seen throughout the week. She recognized Jessica immediately. She was practically throwing herself all over some guy. Bella couldn't make out whom it was; his back was turned towards her and Emmett. She noticed the way he seemed disinterested and kept looking down at his whiskey on the rocks while he raked his hands through his bronze colored hair. Jessica was playfully touching his arm and tossing her hair.

_She's going to get whiplash from all that hair tossing, _Bella thought.

The waiter came and took their order, Emmett got himself a beer and Bella ordered a diet coke and vanilla vodka.

"So, do you want to quit yet?" Emmett teased as he took a sip of his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He loosened his tie around his neck and settled more comfortably on his stool as he glanced around to see who was there.

"No way!" teased Bella as she lightly punched him in the arm. "I'm having a great time. For the most part everyone has been really nice."

She said and took a sip of her drink. She hadn't had any other major incidents since Monday's grand finale with the coffee. Thankfully, she still hadn't run into the guy she happened to spill coffee all over.

"Well that's good- Hey Mike! Come over here and meet the new girl!" He waved to one of the guys chatting up a few girls. Mike signaled Emmett to wait a moment with his finger as he got his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in some numbers. He gave the girls a wink and excused himself to join Emmett and Bella at their table.

"So you're Isabella Swan?" Mike asked.

"Just Bella," she told him.

"Well Bella, welcome to C. Designs. I apologize I haven't been able to meet you sooner. I was traveling for business. If Emmett here gives you a hard time, you let me know," Mike winked at her. He had a nice smile, and bit of boyish look to him. He seemed like friendly guy.

"Whatever Mike you prick, I'd kick your ass," Emmett laughed.

Bella smiled at both of them and shook her head. She hung out for a few more hours, and met some of the other employees. Finally, she told them she needed to get home.

When she got back to the apartment, both of the girls were out. She didn't know where Rosalie would be, probably on a date, she figured. Alice was mostly likely over at Jasper's. She was glad he lived by himself, because Alice would usually spend the night there. When he had first moved to Chicago he didn't have a place, so he stayed with the girls for a few weeks. There had been several awkward moments Bella never wanted to speak of again. One in particular involved her coming home sick from work, only to find them making babies, rather than lunch in the kitchen. She shuddered at the thought and sat down read to read a book.

*****

Alice rolled over in bed, and dragged her finger slowly up and down the curve of Jasper's bare back.

"That kind of tickles," he muttered into his pillow.

"Jasper, my love?" she said innocently.

"Yes, my Alice? Queen of my castle, lover of my soul, and my future bride," he asked.

"Well, I was doing some thinking…" she said.

"You were? Just now? Well, I was hoping that I had made you incoherent," he teased her. Jasper rolled onto his back exposing his torso, the sheet hanging low on his hips. He pulled Alice against his chest and held her.

"Oh please, you wish," she swatted at him playfully. "Actually, I was thinking about Bella."

"Really… as in the three of us?" he arched an eyebrow at her. "I knew you like being called her girlfriend," he said, referring to the Emmett story Alice had told him about earlier that week.

"You are too much Jasper Whitlock. No, I was thinking about Bella, and how she hasn't been on a date in a while. I want to set her up and I know you have some nice friends," she told him.

"Hm… yeah, she is a cute girl. I might know a few guys that would definitely be interested," he said.

"Oh goody! Let's start making a list," Alice said as she sat up and bounced up and down. Jasper couldn't help but stare at her naked chest.

"Mm-hm. Sure thing darlin', but first…" he grabbed her hips and flipped her over to her back "… I'm going to make you incoherent for a couple of hours."

*****

Back at the apartment, Alice was pouring over the latest wedding magazines. Ever since she had seen the "perfect" southern wedding in Georgia's annual wedding announcements she was completed consumed. Bella and Rosalie had become complacent bridesmaid soldiers, preparing themselves mentally for what was only going to be the wedding day of epic proportions.

Alice had immediately shown Bride-zilla like tendencies when she first got engaged. She started beginning sentences with "I'm the wedding planner, _I'm _the bride…" Which everyone was clearly aware of. How could you not be with that giant rock of a diamond flashing around her left hand? Sometimes it seemed she just wanted an excuse to talk, well not to actually talk, but to gesture and innocently wave her hands around so people would notice her 4 carat Harry Winston. Although the girls were definitely jealous of the ring, they were genuinely happy for her. Alice and Jasper are the perfect couple on paper, in a photo, and in real life and Alice is determined to have the perfect wedding.

Flipping through her fourth magazine that morning, Alice reached across the table to grab one of the muffins that Rosalie had baked earlier that week. Another one of her futile attempts to become more domestic. She picked at the top of the muffin and nibbled at it a little bit. More frustrated than hungry, she ate only the top part of the muffin and got up from the kitchen to continue with her Saturday morning ritual.

After Alice got engaged she had the girls join a bridal boot camp together. Bella and Rose didn't put up much of a fight since they figured a little exercise wouldn't hurt.

"Hey Rosalie, you ready to head out?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, almost ready. Where's Bella, is she here?" she replied from the bathroom.

"No, she's going to meet us there. Bella wanted to go to the farmer's market to get some veggies or whatever," she said smartly. Bella was the token vegetarian in the group. Every great clique of 20 something's should have at least one vegetarian/hippie type who was environmentally aware. It kept things "down to earth", something everyone wanted to be classified as. No one really ever says they don't want to be known as a "down to earth" person.

Alice straightened herself after she laced up her blue sneakers, which matched her blue shirt, and her blue eyes. She always had to look her best at all times, part of her picture perfect life-style.

"Ok, let's go!" Rosalie said as she grabbed her keys and headed out of the apartment with Alice following behind. Rosalie sparked up the ignition in her 72' mustang and the two set off. Reaching for the radio she turned up her favorite rock station and began to start dancing as she drove down Lakeshore Drive.

"So, what did you end up doing last night," asked Alice. "I didn't hear you come in last night."

"I went to grab a couple of drinks with a couple of co-workers from the firm, that's all," she said very quickly, like it was almost rehearsed.

"That's all?" Alice said suspiciously.

"Yup, that's all," Rosalie said putting emphasis on the 'p'. She turned up the radio loudly so that it would be hard to speak over it and started dancing again, getting herself ready for the hour-long workout session.

They pulled in the parking garage of the building the gym was located in. They were glad the gym had free parking for its members. Parking in the city was usually a nightmare and taking the bus was too much of a hassle. Alice and Rosalie silently walked to the gym, neither of them mentioning what they were both thinking. Entering the classroom they immediately spotted Bella stretching out by one of the bars.

"Over here girls," called Bella, waving them over. Sporting old running shorts and an old tie-dyed t-shirt, and a messy bun, Bella still looked beautiful. She didn't have a spot of make-up on, but with her creamy complexion and dark eyes that looked like she always had perfectly applied eyeliner, she didn't need any. Try as she may, Bella couldn't make herself look ugly, not even wearing old grubby workout clothes.

"Are you ready to go for the burn?" Bella laughed as she started to shuffle around on balls of her feet with the finesse of a boxer. The girls groaned in reply. "Someone forget to have their coffee this morning?" She continued to do quick light jabs into the air followed by a perfectly executed cross punch.

"Someone have too much coffee?" Rosalie looked at Bella rolling her eyes sarcastically. Before either of them could get another word out, music boomed over the speaker and the instructor made his way to the front of the room whilst adjusting his hands free mic.

Tony was an ex-marine who now took great pleasure in torturing willing females in hour-long sessions. He was high in demand and well known for having the best bridal boot camp in the city. The girls all had a mutual love-hate relationship with him and his weekly torture sessions; they were loving the results, but hating the process. Finally after sixty grueling minutes they were released.

Wiping a towel across her forehead Alice spoke up, "Anyone want to grab a coffee, or maybe go shopping later?"

"Alice, for the sake of our credit cars, you know shopping is an experience we all prefer to do without you," said Rosalie.

"Well, I can't help it if you both need help now and then," she remarked.

"I can't anyway, I have a coffee date at two," replied Rosalie. They headed back to the cars.

"I'll go with you Alice, I should probably replace my shirt from last week anyway," said Bella.

"Perfect!" Alice jumped up in excitement.

One of the perks of being a lawyer was having lots of extra cash to buy expensive suits and shoes, which is one of Alice's favorite parts. That and she had an uncanny gift of being very persuasive. Sometimes it's like she knows the outcome of her trials, and then insists it's going to be that. Oddly, she has yet to be wrong. She always was a bit of a nut.

The girls headed back to their brownstone and showered. Rosalie decided to lounge around watching old movies before she had to get ready for her date, and Alice and Bella headed down to Michigan Avenue.

"Ooo! Let's go in here," said Alice dragging Bella into Gucci.

"They have some great outfits that you should definitely get for your new job," she continued. Alice started to pull multiple shirts off the rack, handing some to Bella. Bella glanced down at one of the shirt she handed her and checked the price tag.

"You've GOT to be kidding me!" Bella exclaimed, "This shirt is like a whole paycheck for me. I'm a designer Alice! That means I'm poor, remember?"

"Oh, but it will look so cute on you," she begged.

"No way, I'll wait for you to buy your stuff and then I'm heading over to H&M where the decimals are two places to the left." Bella sat down on one of the benches as Alice popped in the dressing room to try on some clothes.

"So, I was thinking the other day that you haven't been on a date in a while," Alice said to her from the fitting room.

"Yeah, about 9 months, 14 days and 3 hours, but who's counting right," she replied.

"I know, and that's why, ugh- these stupid snaps, Jazzy and I were taking about some of the friends we'd like to set you up with." Alice stepped out of the fitting room and twirled around showing Bella her dress.

"Very nice, it looks good on you," she told her, "and no, please don't set me up. I'm not that desperate and I really need to focus on my job right now."

"But Bellllaaaaa, work can't be your everything. I already know you are going to give in and agree to go on a date anyway, so why fight with me about it?" she told Bella.

Bella fell back onto the bench and rubbed her hands across her face and let out a sigh.

"God, I would hate to ever fight you in court. Fine, whatever, it's not like it's going to kill me," Bella groaned.

"Yippee! Okay then! This definitely calls for a trip to Sax's, and no complaining. If I'm putting you up to this, then it's my treat," Alice said bouncing up and down in excitement.

Alice quickly finished trying on her clothes and checked out. Bella tried not to pass out when she saw that Alice had spent a small fortune. They stopped in a few more stores, Alice allowing Bella to go and replace her blouse at H&M, and then finally made her try on dresses at Sax's Fifth Avenue.

After trying on a dozen or so, Alice brought her one last dress to try on.

"I can't believe I didn't see this one before," said Alice. Bella took a turn in the dark midnight blue dress. It was a satin knee length dress. The neck scooped and had two straps that crossed over her exposed back. It was simple, elegant, and the color set off nicely against Bella's creamy complexion.

"It's so perfect, you are definitely wearing that on your first date with our mystery Bachelor," said Alice.

"It really is pretty, but I don't know if I can let you buy it Alice," said Bella.

"What did I tell you about arguing with me? Go change and I'll go check out," she commanded. Bella went back to the fitting room and put back on her worn-in jeans and gray tank.

"Here you go my lovely," Alice said handing her the shiny shopping bag.

"Thanks Alice, you really shouldn't do things like this for me," Bella said and gave her a hug.

"Hey- who am I going on a date with anyhow?" she asked.

"That's for you to decide, Jasper and I came up with a little game for you," Alice told her.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, it will be fun. I promise. Now, let's head home, and I'll call Jasper to meet us at the house," Alice said. They walked out of the store and Alice threw her small hand in the air to hail a cab.

*****

Hm... will Bella choose the Bachelor behind door #1 or #3?

Please review and let me know what you think! :)

more review = faster updates = more Edward. and we all love us some Edward.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for Rachelcullen77 and qjmom for being my Beta's!

SM owns these characters... in case you didn't already know.

***

Edward's eyes glazed over as he stared at the half empty glass of whiskey before him. Drops of condensation dragged down the cold glass, forming a ring on the square white napkin beneath. Edward desperately needed a drink after the week he'd had. He had been constantly on the phone or in never ending planning meetings. He watched as another drop hit the napkin.

Hoping to unwind with his office buddies for the usual Friday after work drinks, Edward managed to duck out of work early and got to "Stocks and Blondes" before anyone else had arrived. Now here he was, working on his third drink, while Jessica Stanley was talking his ear off about the benefits of yoga. Edward listened politely, but shifted his body towards the bar. Every time she touched his arm playfully, he cringed He knew what she was doing, and he didn't want to go down that road again. He had left that person behind, and honestly she didn't seem worth it, even if she was an expert at downward facing dog.

Realizing the evening was not going to improve, Edward had decided to down his drink and excuse himself, when he heard Emmett's booming voice enter the bar from behind him. Glancing up at the mirror behind the bar, Edward saw that the girl who had spilled coffee all over him on Monday accompanied Emmett.

_Shit! She's with Emmett? _After he lashed out, leaving the girl practically in tears, he had felt awful. His mother, Esme, would've been very disappointed. She had raised him to be a gentleman and he knew better than that. Edward had hoped for the opportunity to apologize and pay for her dry-cleaning, however, he didn't know who she was, and hadn't seen her since. But now, here in this moment, he just didn't have the energy for an awkward confrontation so he turned back towards Jessica and continued to listen to her ramble on, hoping they wouldn't notice him.

Occasionally Edward found himself watching the girl interact with Emmett from the mirror. He noticed how her long brown hair swept over her shoulder, blocking her face from his view as she leaned towards Emmett. Now and then Emmett would say something to make her laugh, and she would throw her head back, exposing her long column-like neck. Her face would light up and her cheeks were rosy. He noticed that her brown eyes had a bit of a sparkle to them when she smiled.

"Hey Mike- come meet the new girl!" He heard Emmett call to Mike. Edward griped his glass like a vice, and, had he the strength, it would've shattered. _Why did Emmett want the new girl to meet Mike?_ he thought. He knew what Mike was really like, probably better than anyone else. He was prideful and arrogant, and when it came to women… Edward kept his grip and clenched his jaw as he watched Mike hit on the new girl. She looked up at Mike, and acted politely. Edward couldn't get a read on her, nor could he hear what they were talking about. He watched them all burst into laugher in unison.

"Are you okay? Edward? EDWARD?"

"Huh?" Edward snapped to attention, realizing Jessica was snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Were you even listening to me?" She stomped her foot and put her hand on her hip.

"Yes, I'm sorry, please do continue," he said unenthusiastically.

"So anyway, I was saying that we totally need to go grab drinks at that new bar…" Edward quickly lost focus as Jessica rambled on. Edward couldn't stop watching the girl. Had it not been through a mirror, he probably would've felt like a stalker. He couldn't pull himself from her deep brown eyes and soft complexion; he stared until she finally got up to leave. She hugged Emmett and Mike goodbye and thanked them for the drinks. He watched as she stepped out of the bar and into the night.

Edward didn't know why, but the moment the door closed behind her, he felt empty. He suddenly had the urge to talk to her. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and threw it on the bar.

"I'm sorry Jessica, I must run. I didn't realize what time it was," he told her quickly. She stood there awestruck that he would just up and leave her.

Edward ran out the door, and looked up and down the street for the small brunette. Spotting her at the end of the block trying to hail a cab, he took off running down the street to catch up to her. Half way down the block, he realized that he didn't even know her name to call after her, and watched as she slipped into a yellow cab and drove north. Reaching his destination, Edward skidded to a halt and rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

_What the fuck? I just chased a girl I don't even know down the street._

He stood and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Admitting defeat, he raised his hand to hail a cab back to his apartment.

*****

Rosalie leaned towards the mirror and expertly reapplied her lipstick, blotted, then readjusted her push up bra. She was wearing her favorite dress in fuck-me-red, paired with spiky black stilettos. Her phone buzzed on her dresser for about the tenth time that hour.

_Rosie Baby, please let me come over tonight. I love you-please._

She read the message and deleted it immediately. She didn't need Roy; she could have any guy she wanted and tonight, she was going to.

It was a typical Friday night. Rosalie was going to meet some of her work friends down at J bar, have a few drinks and just let the night unfold. The bar was known for having only the most attractive people there; even the waiters looked like models. Rosalie enjoyed being the most attractive person in a room full of Chicago's hottest.

She sauntered up to the bar, and slowly arched over the counter making her butt stick out as she whispered her drink order seductively into the bartender's ear. She swore she saw him get goose bumps. He wordlessly nodded and stumbled as he regained consciousness to make her drink. She perched herself on a stool and crossed her legs, making her dress scoot higher up as she waited.

_Blue eyes at 4 o'clock, and he's got 5 minutes, _she thought to herself. It was a game she played with her unsuspecting subjects. SheTypically, Rosalie would spot her target in the bar, and give him a deadline for when he needed to come over and hit on her. When she entered the bar, she had spotted a sexually intimidating man, with a large tattoo on his forearm. His hair was pulled back into a short ponytail; she noticed his piercing blue eyes watch her as she ordered her drink. Her body felt alive, as she sensed those blue eyesem watching her now.

Rosalie took a sip of her dirty martini and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. She sensedFeeling his presence as he came to stand behind her, . Rosalie swiveled to the right on her stool, holding her martini with grace. She locked her gaze on his blue eyes as she took one of the olives between her lips and slowly pulled it from the stick. She heard Hheim groaned under his breath.

"So you like it dirty then?" he asked her.

"I do… just like my martini's," she said, her voice low and seductive. He smirked and sat down next to her to order another round of drinks.

*****

Alice bounded up to their apartment, Bella slowly following behind. She whisked the door open and ran to the kitchen, pulling out chips, and other snack foods. Bella finally reached the apartment door, which was waiting wide open for her. Closing the door behind her, she heard Alice scurrying about the kitchen.

"Alice? What are you doing?" she dared to ask.

"I'm getting ready for tonight!" she called from the kitchen. Bella was too tired to ask any more questions. Throwing her shopping bags on the couch she plopped down beside it, kicked off her shoes and set her throbbing feet up on the coffee table to give them a rest. Bella heard Rose slam the door to her room upstairs and stomp down the steps.

"What's all the commotion about?" Rose asked Bella who responded by shrugging her shoulders.

"It's Alice, who knows," she said. Rose sat down next to Bella and turned on the television.

"How was the coffee date?" Bella asked as they remained staring at the TV, watching some terrible reality dating show.

"Good. He's an investment banker, with all his hair and he wears Prada. What more could a girl ask for?" she lied as she changed the channel to something else. Her "coffee date" had been meeting blue eyes for another quickie, but she didn't feel like divulging that information yet, just to receive a lecture from the girls.

"Touché." They sat silently and watched the television for a while, until finally Alice emerged from the kitchen with a small platter of food and a tray of pink cocktails.

"Alice, what's all this for? Are we having people over tonight or something?"

"No silly! Well, just Jasper, but we are going to figure out who your Mr. Right is! I just thought it would be fun to make some cocktails and have a few treats while we played our game."

"What are you guys talking about?" Rose asked them.

"Well, the other day I was talking to Jasper about how Bella hasn't dated in like- _ages-"_

"Hey... it hasn't been that long."

"-Anyway, I know he has lots of nice friends, so Jasper and I came up with a list of who we think Bella might get along with," she stated.

"What am I, chopped liver? I'm single too remember?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, for this week Rose. Besides, Jasper wants to still be friends with these guys, and that wouldn't be the case after you were done with them," Alice quipped.

"Seriously Alice, we don't have to make a big deal about this. I already do not even want to do this to begin with," Bella groaned.

The door rang, and Alice sprung to her feet to answer it.

"Too bad!" she said running off, "Jazzy!" Alice jumped into his arms and he spun her around once and gave her a kiss.

"Hello darlin', you look beautiful." He looked Alice up and down. She had changed into one of the new blouses and skirts she had purchased earlier that day. It was a thin black pencil skirt, and red satin blouse with capped sleeves and pearl buttons. Alice had left several of the buttons undone, and her lacy bra was peaking out. Jasper entered the room and greeted Rosalie and Bella.

"Ladies," he said, and tipped his head, as if he were wearing a hat.

"So, do you have the note cards?" Alice asked.

"Yes, I brought them over." He grabbed a small stack of 3 x 5 cards from his back pocket and handed them to Alice.

"Hooray! Bella are you ready to begin? Oh, Jasper there's beer for you in the fridge. I know you don't like Cosmo's." He took off towards the kitchen to scrounge for food and beer. Bella rolled her eyes and Rose stifled a laugh. It was just like Alice to do something like this.

"Sure, let's get this over with," Bella said very unenthusiastically. Alice handed them each a drink and lifted her glass for a toast.

"First, before we begin, I would like to propose a toast to Bella and her future. I can sense that this is the beginning of something special," Alice said sweetly. Rose snorted and Alice shot her a look.

"Thanks Alice," said Bella, and she raised her glass politely in acknowledgement and took a taste.

"To Bella," muttered Rose, as she and Alice took a sip.

"TOB BELWA!" shouted Jasper with his mouth full as he entered the living room and raised his Sam Adams in the air like a torch, his other hand holding a large sandwich with a huge bite out of it. The girls burst out laughing.

"Okay, so Bella, I narrowed it down to three guys I think you might like. I'm going to read you some brief descriptions, and then you'll get to ask some questions." Bella nodded and Alice continued.

"Okay, bachelor number one is a teacher who likes to hunt. He's a White Sox fan, and he enjoys having a good time with his friends, and loves to travel."

"Uh-oh, he might not like that you live on the North side." Rose poked at Bella, who rolled her eyes. The Cubs and Sox's fan were notorious for hating each other, not that any of the girls were that into sports.

Alice continued, "Bachelor number two is a successful body shop owner, who likes going for long hikes or runs, is a dog lover, and family is very important to him. Last but not least, bachelor number three is a computer technician, who enjoys music and writing, and he also enjoys swimming."

"Well that sounds just swell," Rose said sarcastically making Bella giggle.

"Okay, so then I went ahead and interviewed each of these guys and asked them the questions on this list…" Alice shoved a piece of paper towards Bella, "…now you can ask five questions to whomever you like, and I will read you their answers." Bella scanned the list in her hand for the questions she wanted to ask.

"Okay then… um, bachelor number three, uh, what is your favorite childhood memory?" she asked Alice.

"My favorite childhood memory would have to be when I went to New York. I got to see the symphony and that's when I knew I wanted to pursue music," Alice read to her, trying to make her voice sound like a man.

"Thank you bachelor number three…ha ha. Okay number two, who is your hero and why?" Bella was starting to get into this take on "The Dating Game" Alice had made up, or maybe it was the Cosmo's kicking in.

"My hero would have to be my dad. He is paralyzed from the waist down, but that hasn't stopped him from doing anything. He's the strongest person I know, he's my best friend and he's helped make me the man I am today." Alice clutched the paper to her chest, and responded with a sigh, as they all went "awwww" in unison. Jasper chuckled at the girls and finished working on his sandwich.

"Bachelor number one, if you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?"

"I would meet Martin Luther King Jr."

"Fair enough. Okay, bachelor number three, if you had a million dollars what would you do with it?"

"If I had one million dollars, I would invest it," Alice read.

"A smart answer I suppose…okay, and for my last question bachelor number two, how would you describe love?"

"Love is patient and kind. It is not proud or rude; love is putting others before yourself. Love is forgiveness. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always preserves," Alice finished.

"Wow…" said Rosalie, her mouth hung wide open. The cheese was slowly sliding from the forgotten cracker she held in her hand.

The girls stared at each other for a moment. Finally breaking the trance, Bella shook her head and said, "Looks like I'm going on a date with bachelor number two."

"Congratulations Mister Jacob Black!" shouted Alice.

****

As always, your reviews are like the butter to my bread. :) xoxo - DM


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: thanks to those who have been keeping up with this story! Sorry about the delay in posting, but now you get two chapters! lucky you :) _

_SM owns. I don't._

_The girls stared at each other for a moment. Finally breaking the trance, Bella shook her head and said, "Looks like I'm going on a date with bachelor number two."_

"_Congratulations Mister Jacob Black!" shouted Alice. _

*****

"I had a good feeling you would pick him, so I came prepared," said Alice. Jasper shook his head and chuckled at Alice's ability to always seem to know what was coming next.

"Um, okay? Then why the game?" Bella asked.

"Oh because it's was so much more fun that way, and because I know how you like to make your own decisions or whatever. So! When are you available next weekend, Friday night, Saturday, or for Sunday morning brunch?"

"Um, I suppose Saturday works?" she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Saturday…" Alice pulled out an envelope with "Saturday" written in her perfect script on the front, and removed the contents inside. "…you're going to met your date at the twisted spoke bar for a cocktail and eight pm.-"

"The biker bar?" Rosalie snorted.

"Yeah that's the one!" Shouted Alice. Bella looked at them with an apprehensive look.

"Jacob may look a scary wolf, but trust me, inside he's as sweet as a puppy…" she patted Bella's knee. "…After that, he's going to take you to go see an improv show."

"Hm… that part sounds fun," said Bella, thinking that maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Well, the night is young, I say we go grab a drink," Rosalie suggested. Alice looked sheepishly at Jasper, and then addressed the group.

"Um…you two go ahead, Jasper needs to make good on bet," she told them. Jasper winked at her. Rosalie and Bella exchanged a look, and rolled their eyes.

"Okay then, let's go get ready," said Rosalie. The girls each headed up to their rooms, to get ready. Toting Jasper along with her, Alice took off giggling to her room.

Carrying her shopping bags up to her room, Bella took out the blue dress to examine it once more. Holding it against her body she checked herself out in her full-length mirror. Maybe tonight would be a good practice to wear the dress. She hung it on the back of her door, and put away the white blouse she had replaced.

Glancing around the room, Bella noticed she had left her work out clothes from that morning in a pile on the floor. She threw them in the hamper, and tidied up. Bella loved her bedroom. It was her sanctuary and her artistic domain. The queen-sized bed was centered on the east wall, which was painted a calming blue. Her dresser stood opposite her bed, beside a large comfy armchair for reading. On the south wall, she kept her books stacked on some floating shelves. Bella undressed and headed into her bathroom.

Alice had bought the house, once she had seen the upstairs bedrooms. It was a rarity to have a surplus of bathrooms downtown homes, but to have one in each room, that sent her over the edge. Bella had to admit, she did enjoy the luxury of having her own bathroom. She had shared with the girls before and well, they both spent an obscene amount of time getting ready in there.

About an hour later, Bella had decided to give the dress a test run, and emerged from her room to get Rosalie. Because of the layout of the house, their doors were right next to each other and Alice was in the master bedroom, currently occupied with Jasper, at the other end of the hall.

Bella knocked on the door before entering, she found Rose sitting at her vanity expertly applying her makeup. Placing down the tube of mascara Rose checked out Bella's new dress.

"Whoa, hot mama! You look good Bella," she whistled at her. She blushed and sat on the end of her bed.

"You think it's too much? Alice got it for me, for my date. I thought I might be more comfortable, if I gave it a test run," she explained.

"You look great, you really do. This Jacob kid, isn't going to know what hit him," she told Bella, who rolled her eyes.

"So where do you want to go tonight?"

"Doesn't matter, do you want to walk down to Suite Lounge and then go from there?"

"Okay, sounds good.

After a few finishing touches to their make up, the girls knocked on Alice's door, to let her know they were leaving. Alice gave a giggled response, followed by muffled noises. Rosalie and Bella looked at each other, and trying to stifle their laughter, before bursting out as they left the house. They walked down the block to one of the local bars they would often frequent, Suite Lounge. It was a small, dark, swankier bar, with some of the best martinis in the city. They girls knew the bouncer, so they walked right in. Rosalie found them a spot at the bar, where she would be able to keep an eye on any potential prospects.

"Hey! How are my favorite girls?" the bartender, Paulie asked them. Rose turned from scoping out the crowd, to address him.

"Fabulous. I'll have a Dirty Martini please," she said with a wink. Bella was studying the menu for the new drinks specials, and looked up, when she realized he was waiting on her.

"Oh, I guess I'll try the White Grape Martini, that sounds good," she told him, placing the menu down and the bar. Sighing Bella ran her fingers through her hair and relaxed in her seat, while the bartender fixed their drinks. Pouring out three shot glasses of tequila, he handed two to the girls and raised his.

"Free round of shots for my favorite girls," he winked at them.

"Ahh thanks Paulie."

"Cheers!" Raising their glasses in unison, they threw back the shot. Rose and Paulie slammed their glasses on the bar, without dropping a beat. Bella, on the other hand, was sucking on a lime, tears welling in her eyes.

"Gah! Tequila! Whew, okay we need to pace ourselves here, you know what happens when I have a lot of tequila," Bella said with a shiver from the taste in her mouth. Laughing at the memories of Bella and too much tequila in her tiny body, Rose thought it would be funny to order another round.

"Thank for reminding me! You are a hoot! Paulie- another round of shots please!" she shouted to him at the other end of the bar. He nodded in response.

"No Rose! I'm serious, Alice wants me to go to church with her in the morning," Bella groaned. Almost spitting up her drinking, Rose looked at her dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry… did you say _church_?"

"Ugh.. yeah. Apparently Jasper's family is, you know, the typically southern church goer type, so naturally Alice decided that she would start going here and there so they didn't think of her as some hedonist, which- we all know she's not. Anyway, I guess Jasper has something going on, so that's why she's making me go with her. Maybe I do need that other shot after all…"

"Ha! Well, better you than me sweetie and fuck yah you do!" Rose pushed the glass towards Bella, and cheers'd her before throwing it down. Halfheartedly Bella took another shot of Tequila. Coughing, she quickly shoved another lime wedge in her mouth. Rose grinned at Bella's inability to handle her liquor with finesse. She sipped at her drink, she trying to scope out the bar again, without being too obvious.

"So, do you have any big auditions coming up Rose?" Bella inquired. She really hadn't talked to Rose much all week, and she had been acting bit elusive lately.

"Hm? Oh, yeah… I have an audition for a beer commercial on Tuesday, it's a national ad, so I hope land that one. Or at least get a freaking call back," Rosalie said. She hadn't booked a job in a while and was feeling bitter about it.

"I'm sure you will, you definitely have the look," assured Bella.

"Ha, you mean a slutty, large breasted, bimbo?" Rosalie laughed.

"Well… maybe not the large breasts," Bella teased. Rosalie jabbed her playfully on the shoulder.

"Easy girl, you know how many free drinks these double D's have gotten us?"

"Far more than my B's… which is, none and counting." Bella cupped her breasts and jokingly pushed them up in her dress.

"I'd buy those B's a drink- but then I'm sure I'd get slammed with a sexual harassment lawsuit," said a deep voice behind Bella. Hands still on her breast, Bella froze at the voice behind her, recognizing it immediately. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she turned around to face her co-worker.

"You scared the crap out of me, just for that you will buy us drinks, and… maybe I'll reconsidered the lawsuit," Bella swatted at Emmett playfully.

"Sounds good." He winked at her. Rose coughed discreetly at Bella.

"Oh, Emmett, this is the girl in the photo you keep ogling at my desk, Rosalie." It was Bella's turn to make Emmett embarrassed and she smirked when she introduced them. Flustered, Emmett shook her hand, and practically buckled at the knees when Rose spoke in a seductive voice, "Pleasure to meet you."

Bella tried not to giggle at their interaction, they both like they wanted to do each other right there on the bar.

"So, you ladies come here often?" he asked sitting down on the empty stool next to Rosalie.

"I guess so, we live nearby. What about you, are you hear by yourself?" Bella asked, looking around the room.

"Yeah, I come here sometimes. I live over in the Gold Coast, so it pretty close to my apartment, well Edwards apartment, speaking of which, he's supposed to be meeting me here," Emmett informed them, checking his phone.

"Oh."

"Yeah, he should be here soon. Bella have you met Edward yet?" he asked her and cued the bartender.

"Edward Cullen? I heard about him, but no." Bella was suddenly nervous, she had heard a lot about Edward, some good, some bad, but she especially didn't want to make a bad impression to one of the partners. Paulie walked up to take their order.

"Can I get you ladies another round?" they nodded in reply, Emmett ordered an Old Fashioned and a double tall whiskey on the rocks for Edward and gave Paulie his card to start a tab.

"Two and counting…" Bella chuckled as she whispered to Rosalie.

"Hey Bella, did you ever find out if that Jasper is the same one?" Rose looked at them curiously.

"Oh-" she smacked her forehead "-it completely slipped my mind. Hey I'll text Alice and see if they are done with… whatever, and ask if the want to come meet us." Bella took out her phone and sent off a quick text to Alice; Emmett took the opportunity to engage Rose in conversation.

_Hey! Hope you guys are having fun. Hehe. Anyway- when you're "finished". You should come meet us for a drink. Emmett from my work is here, and he thinks he knows Jasper from College. Texas right? _Bella tried to look distracted as she waited for Alice's reply, wanting to eavesdrop on what Emmett and Rose were talking about… sounded like the Chicago Bears? Rose was their biggest fan, another one of her quirks.

_Mmmm… I'm wonderful thank you. Jasper made good- real good on his bet. :) Jasper wants to know if it's Emc2? Don't know what that means. _Bella looked quizzically at her phone and turned to join Emmett and Rosalie.

"I'm definitely an Urlacher fan. He's my kind of guy." Rose told Emmett.

"Really? You like the big linebacker types…"

"-Hey! Emmett, Alice said Jasper wants to know if you are E-M-C-2?" She asked him curiously. Practically falling off his chair, Emmett doubled over in laughter. Rose and Bella exchanged a bewildered look.

"That fucking turd… I can't wait to see little "Whitney-locks". Tell them they need to get their asses down here, I'm buying."

_Emc2 said "Whitney-locks" needs to get his ass down here ASAP. _

"So, what's E-M-C-2? " Bella asked Emmett.

"Yeah, and Whitney Locks? Please explain," Rose laughed.

"Oh God…" Emmett wiped away tears from his eyes "…okay. We played football together at Texas and as freshman you usually received some sort of awful nickname from the older players. All in good fun of course. Well, I was one of the few players who was on an academic and athletic scholarship, so I was dubbed E-M-C-squared for two reasons. First, because I was smarter than most those meatheads, secondly, E- Emmett MC- McCarty, and the squared, because I was twice the size of most freshman."

"Oh my gosh… does anyone at work know about this?" Bella laughed.

"A select few… they are getting paid to keep quiet," he joked.

"But Whitney locks?"

"Ha, poor Whitlock had it the worst. He got called Whitney Locks, because of his good looks and perfect golden locks of hair. Ha!" Emmett slapped his knee and bellowed in laughter.

_Whitney locks says he's be there… and to watch his back. ;) Lol! I had NO idea about his nickname! See you soon._

"Alice just texted me, they'll be here soon," Bella told them.

"Oh good- Hey over here!" Emmett waved his hand at someone behind Bella. She turned to see who it was, and saw _him_.

****

His first weekend back in Chicago and Edward was at the office on a Saturday.

Busting himself all week, he still had a lot of catching up to do. Crumbling up another piece of trace paper, he threw it in the direction of the waste bin, where it landed on the ground amongst the other balls of trace. Raking his hand through his hair, Edward leaned back in his chair frustrated at his progress, or lack thereof. He had been trying to rework the concept and layouts for the city. The first run of ideas had been good, but shot down, so it was back to square one. His blackberry lit up and shook the table, with a message from Emmett:

_Eddie! Let's go grab a drink tonight! _Edward glanced at his watch, it was already eight pm. Figuring, he had about enough of this project for one day, a drink sounded perfect.

_Sounds like a plan. Where? When?_

_Suite Lounge, an hour. _

Edward rubbed his chin and pondered. He'd have to run back to the apartment to shower, and noticing the scruff on this face, he needed a shave too.

_Perfect. See you then. _

Edward was started to clean up his desk and put away his drawings, when something caught his eye, sparking an idea. Grabbing a roll of trace paper, he quickly sketched out his new ideas.

Forty-five minutes later, he had finished jotting down some ideas. Realizing the time, Edward hastily grabbed his things and headed downstairs to catch a cab.

Reaching his apartment in record time, Edward tore his clothes off in a trail to the bathroom. Checking out his scruff in the mirror, he figured he could get away without shaving and opted for just the shower.

Donning a pair of dark denim jeans and a button down, Edward dressed quickly. He snatched up his wallet and phone on the way out the door and noticed another text from Emmett.

_Hey. You on your way?_

_Yes, sorry, got tied up at the office, be there in soon._

_Dude… the office? No worries. I'll go ahead an order you the usual. _

About ten minutes later Edward's cab pulled in front of the Well's Street bar. He flashed his ID at the bouncer and made his way down the steps to the dark basement bar. He was scanning the room when he heard, "Hey- over here!" Edward chuckled as he spotted Emmett at the far end of the bar talking to not one, but two ladies. Weaving himself through the crowded bar, Edward froze when the brunette turned to see whom Emmett had waved at. It was _her. _They locked eyes for a moment, both recognizing each other immediately. Edward composed himself, and slowly made his way towards the group.

"Edward! Meet Bella Swan and her roommate, Rosalie Hale. Grab a seat next to Bella, here's your drink," Emmett said and handed him his drink, which was now slick with condensation. Still a bit shell shocked, he took the empty stool next to Bella.

"Um- I need to use the ladies room, Rose- why don't you come with," Bella said, grabbing Rose by the arm to drag her to the bathroom.

"Oh um, okay. Please excuse us gentlemen. Try not to be too lonely without us," Rose winked at Emmett. He watched her backside as they got up and walked away, until Edward snapped him to attention.

"Emmett, you seem be drooling a little bit there…" Edward teased tossing him his silk handkerchief. Letting out the breath he had been holding, Emmett collapsed against the bar.

"Dude… I'm going to marry that woman," he told Edward in a serious tone. Edward arched his eyebrow and gave him a skeptical look.

"You know her? I had figured you just met?" He asked. Due to past experiences, Edward was a bit of a cynic when it came to relationships.

"I know! Just met her tonight. But, oh man- when you know, you know," He shook his head and grinned widely.

****

When she got up from her seat, Bella immediately felt the affects of two shots of tequila and the two white grape martinis. She steadied herself against the sink in the bathroom, and turned to face Rose who was reapplying her lipstick.

"I can't believe you've been holding out on me, Emmett is one fine piece of meat, _and_ he has season tickets to the Bears? Can you believe that? He better take me to a game," she said fluffing up her hair in the mirror.

"That's the guy…" the room was spinning and she didn't know if it was the alcohol or the after effects of Edward's piercing eyes studying her, maybe a combination of the both. Rose gave Bella a concerned look.

"What guy?"

"He- I- He's the one I spilled coffee on, my boss. Edward Cullen of Cullen Designs, I spilled hot coffee all over him. I am so mortified! I can't go back out there," Bella cried pulling at her hair.

"Okay, settle down." Rose placed her hand on her shoulder. "First of all, you mean- that prick knocked _you _over and spilled your coffee on the _both _of you. Secondly, yes we do, you invited Jasper and Alice to join us, remember? Thirdly, I need to you to be my wingman, I fully intend on going home with Emmett tonight and I need you to keep Coffee Cullen boy entertained."

"Rose! No, please do not ditch me," Bella argued.

"Oh please, you'll be okay, plus you look like a fine piece of ass in the dress. Bet you're glad you wore that huh? Now, let's get back out there and make those boys suffer," Rose finished her pep talk and slapped her on the ass like a football player. Bella squeaked and grabbed her backside.

"Uhh... you_ so_ owe me big time. Oh, but first I really do need to pee."

•••••

"I can't believe you think you're already in love with this girl," Edward shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't think it, I know it," Emmett confirmed. Edward drew another sip of his drink. From the way Bella had stumbled to the rest rooms, it seemed he had a lot of catching up to do. He thought about that midnight blue dress, against her creamy white skin. Edward had snuck a peak at her, as she walked away, the gentle curve of her back was exposed, dipping low to the base of her spine, and covered only by two criss-crossed straps.

"So, Bella's working with you then?" He asked what he already knew, but wanted an excuse to discuss her.

"Yeah, she's been great so far. Really bright, quick learner, has a lot of great ideas," said Emmett.

"Hm… is that so?"

"Yeah, she's good. A lot of fun too, I've enjoyed working with her. I've actually thought about recommending her to Carlisle for the 2016 project. I know your getting together a project team, but I thought it might be too soon, since she's still pretty green."

"That's true." Edward pondered this. He wasn't sure what he thought about working with Bella just yet. He found her…intriguing and needed to be careful. The girls came back from the restroom and sat down at their seats between the boys. Emmett had ordered another round of drinks for them all. Bella knew she probably shouldn't keep drinking, but felt she needed the liquid courage. Back already turned her back to her; Rosalie was fully engaged in flirting with Emmett. Bella sipped her drink. The awkward silence between her and Edward was palatable and swore she tasted a hint of it in her drink. Eying him from her peripheral vision, she noticed him looking at her. Attempting to break the tension he spoke up.

"So, Emmett tells me you're doing well. Are you enjoying yourself at C. Designs so far?" he asked in what seemed like bored tone of voice. Bella was put off by his charitable attempt at small talk.

"Yes, it's been great so far. Everyone's been very kind and helpful…" looking down at the bar, she gathered her courage to continued. "…Look, I didn't know who you were. It was my first day. I'm sorry." She blurted out in one breath, desperate to get the elephant of the room and just clear the air.

Throwing him off course that she just brought up the incident last week, Edward could only nod in response. Figuring he was still mad, Bella got pissed that he didn't accept her apology. _Rose was right,_ _It was partially his fault too. _

"You know- you _did _knockme over too!" Bella said aggressively, her inhibitions giving way with her fifth drink. Edward was taken aback at her words.

_Did that little minx just call me out?_

"I… excuse me?"

"I mean you were charging down the hall like the building was on fire…" Bella gestured widely. "…You should've watched where _you _were going." poking him square in the chest. Edward chuckled, at her display. _Drunk Bella was funny_. Edward warmed up to her and removed the hand that was poking him, holding it in his.

"You're completely right. I'm the one that owes you an apology. Please forgive me Bella." He said and kissed the top of her hand sweetly with a smirk and placed it in her lap. She laughed at his display of good manners, and soon they were both rolling in laughter together at the coffee incident.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I spilled coffee on a Cullen!" Bella wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. Edward took notice of the way her face lit up when she laughed. It was infectious. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her mouth, he wanted to taste her cherry red lips, but was startled by the shouts behind him.

"E-M-C-SQUARED!" Jasper yelled across the bar, giving him the "Hook 'Em Horns".

"Whitney! Come here you sexy thing!" Emmett gave Jasper a welcoming hug and pat on the back.

"So, what the hell are you doing on this side of the Mason-Dixon Line? I'd never thought I'd see the day you'd turn Yankee on us," Emmett laughed. Jasper pulled Alice under his arm bringing her forward.

"Ha-ha, crazier things have happened. But, it's all because of this sweet little slice of pie. Emmett, meet my fiancé Alice," he introduced them. Emmett shook her hand and grinned.

"So _you're _Alice. I've heard so much about you from Bella," he teased.

"Emmett, Shush!" Bella playfully kicked at him, almost falling off her stool. Everyone burst into laughter, except a confused Edward, who looked like he missed something. Bella noticed and spun in her seat to explain to him.

"Emmett thinks Alice is my _lover_. Well he did, until I explained she was engaged and that I wasn't a lesbian. That's how he found out about Jasper."

"I see… So just to clarify, you like men then, huh?" he teased her, placing his hand on the small of her back to keep her balanced in her chair. His hand tingled at the touch of her skin.

"Of course I do…" she glanced over to the rest of the group, who had ordered another round of drinks and shots. Emmett and Jasper were singing, "The Eyes of Texas" very loudly, while Rose and Alice laughed at their display. A pair of shots appeared in front of Edward and Bella. Paulie gave Bella a quick wink, setting a lime next to hers.

"Well, what should we cheers to?" Bella asked.

"How about, to meeting someone unexpected in a head on-collision." Edward raised his glass and threw back the shot.

"To collisions! May they always bring people together," Bella slurred, throwing it back. It warmed her insides. She was feeling great, the room was alive with sound and color, and Edward's bright eyes were shining brightly at her. She found herself desperately wanting to rub her hand across his scuff, his square jaw looked so rugged and…

"Um… Bella?" Snapping to attention, Bella realized that she had actually leaned in, just inches from his face, and was rubbing her fingers along his jawbone. He gently grasped her wrist, and pressed his lips against the palm of her hand, planting a seductive kiss there. Bella felt herself melt in her seat. Still holding her hand, he helped her to her feet.

"I want to dance," he commanded, pulling her small body against his. Like a sheep following a Shepard, she followed his lead. Placing her head against his chest as they slowly grinded to the music. The combination of the dark lights of the room, her alcohol induced high, and the intoxicating scent of Edward Cullen, sent Bella spiraling. Her senses took over and focused on the feeling his body rocking against hers. She relished the moment.

Wrapping both arms around his neck and lacing them together, she looked up into his eyes. The stared at each other with a mutual need. Not ever breaking away, they continued to dance. Bella rolled her hips towards him and grinded against his pelvis. Grasping onto her hips, Edward mimicked the motion and they grinded their hips against each other. Feeding their need, Edward felt his hands roam over her body; he craved her unlike anything else. However, he knew that she had far too much to drink tonight, and drunk or sober, it wouldn't be wise to hook up with someone from the office. He had been down the road before. It never ended well.

"Hey Bella, I'm going to head over to Jasper's now. Don't worry about church, we'll go next week," Alice interrupted their dry hump dance. _Oh yeah, church. _

"Oh okay, thanks. See you later." Alice winked at her before leaving the bar with Jasper. Placing her head against Edward's chest, Bella looked over to Emmett and Rosalie. They were huddled closely together. Rose's legs crossed on the stool, practically intertwined with Emmett's. She was playfully touching his arms as they spoke in whispers. Bella was glad that she found someone else, Roy just wasn't right for her. She continued to watch them as she and Edward swayed back and forth to the beat.

All of a sudden, Rose sat up looking pissed, mouthing what appeared to be a "fuck you." to Emmett, who looked like he had been slapped.

_What the hell? _Bella stopped dancing as Rose stormed over to her.

"Bella, we are leaving. NOW!" Rose grabbed her by the arm. Bella gave Edward an apologetic look as her roommate dragged her off.

Completely speechless, Edward and Emmett watched the pair storm out the bar, without a backwards glance.

"Dude- what the Hell!?"

"I'll tell you later, let's just get home."

****

A lot went down in chapter... hehe. So please show some love and review! :)

Also, go read my new story "The Chicago Outfit". I've been working very hard on that one. It's a dark, sexy Vamp EdwardxBella story.


	5. Chapter 5

An: Thanks to RachellCullen77 for being the ultimate Beta and my fellow musical enthusiast. :) Cheers.

SM owns the characters of twilight.

***

"So, let me get this straight- she wanted to sleep with you and you turned her down?" Edward asked.

"Dude, it's not like that. Of course I want to sleep with her! But she's worth so much more than a one-night stand. I want to romance her, woo her. I want her to marry me," Emmett said, collapsing on the couch in Edward's office.

Edward leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the desk.

"Whoa… okay. Who are you, and what did you do with my friend Emmett?"

"I'm serious! I've never felt this way before and I didn't want to ruin it by sleeping with her the first night we met!"

"Looks like you ruined it by _not _sleeping with her. You need to do some serious damage control," said Edward.

"Ugghh… you're right. I've made it so much worse. I don't stand a chance."

"Probably not, but lucky for you, you have an insider working for you. Speaking of which, I was thinking about what you said about recommending Bella for the 2016 project. I think you should. I'm interested to see what some fresh blood could bring to the table."

"I don't know man... Are you sure you're not just_ interested_?" He gave Edward a concerned look. "Because I don't need people on my team leaving again."

"I can assure you, I am only interested in what she has to offer professionally."

"Right, right. Hey, we better get downstairs to the weekly meeting. Let's get going, do you want to grab coffee before?"

"You go ahead. I better not," chuckled Edward.

****

Bella nervously tapped her notepad with her pen as she waited for the meeting to begin. It had only been one week since she started, but it felt like she had been there a lifetime. She sat next to Angela, a sweet girl who had been working on one of the projects she had been assigned to. Angela was smart, quiet and seemed genuinely nice. She seemed like the type of girl that if you had a secret to share, she would keep it. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Jessica across the room with her blouse unbuttoned a few extra buttons.

Edward and Emmett entered the conference room laughing and sat down across the table from Bella engrossed in their conversation. She hadn't seen or heard from either of them since Saturday night when Rose peeled her body off of Edward's. The following morning Bella had woken with a bad hangover and dry mouth, which only felt worse when she remembered dry humping her boss on the dance floor. Mortified at what he must think of her, Bella was going to do her best to avoid Edward Cullen and tequila at all costs.

Pretending to be interested in what was on her notepad, which was blank, Bella tried avoiding eye contact. She started to scribble some non-sense down, when Emmett called her name, forcing her to look up.

"Bella! Hey, we need to go over our presentation for tomorrow. Can you come to my office after the meeting?" he asked. Bella nodded and quickly stole a glance at Edward. Casually leaning back, he was chewing on the top of a pen while gently swaying side to side in his seat. Her eyes glanced towards the pen held between his full, round lips. Looking up at her from beneath his furrowed eyebrows, he shot her a wink. Bella blushed and furiously began scribbling on her notepad.

Carlisle came in a few moments later and began to conduct the meeting as scheduled. He was brought up to date on the specific project groups, as well as the status of new pursuits. Bella kept her eyes down the entire time he spoke. Eventually, the meeting was dismissed.

Bella went back to her desk to gather the materials for the meeting tomorrow, and headed up to the twenty third floor. Never having been up to the other floor before, Bella wandered around searching for his office. This floor was laid out much differently than downstairs. Private offices lined the perimeter of the building and the center was an open office environment, complete with drafting tables covered in 3-D models and many rolls of drawings. It looked like a workshop.

Rounding the corner to the other side of the building, there were additional conference rooms, as well as a small breakfast bar. She finally found the office labeled "Emmett McCarty" and knocked.

The door swung open and a pair of honey eyes stared down at her. Confused, Bella did a double take to the signage by the door.

"Oh- I'm sorry, I thought this was-"

Edward chuckled and stepped aside, revealing Emmett at his desk.

"Please come in, I was just leaving." He ushered her in and closed the door behind him as he left.

"Bells, how's it going? Did you have a good weekend?" Emmett asked.

"Aside from the bad hangover and fuzzy memories of Saturday night, I suppose it was pretty good," she replied sarcastically, setting up the presentation materials. Emmett got up, walked around his desk, and sat on the edge. He picked up a paperweight from his desk and played with it mindlessly.

"Soooo… did Rosalie say anything about me?" he asked tentatively, studying the object in his hand. Bella turned around to face him.

"Yeah! What was that all about?" She stuck her hands on her hips. Emmett groaned, slamming the object against his desk. He buried his face in his hands.

"God, I'm such a loser."

"No, seriously. What happened? Rose didn't say anything to us. She pretty much stayed locked in her room the entire day, except to come up for food. I've never seen her act like that." Emmett crossed the room and fell onto the couch.

"Really? Wow… I figured you knew everything."

"No, I am as clueless now as I was then. Care to enlighten me?"

"God, it's so embarrassing," he sighed.

"It's fine. You don't need to say anything if you are uncomfortable…" Bella came to sit beside him on the arm of the couch. "… I just don't get it. You two seemed to hit it off. Then… I don't know! What happened? I'll admit, I might not have been the best eyewitness. I was under the influence of too much tequila."

"And Edward Cullen…" Emmett muttered under his breath. Bella heard what he said and shot him a look, but it went unnoticed. His face was still buried in his hands.

"Here's the thing. I like Rose, _a lot. _She had suggested that we go back to my place. But, instead I gently tried to decline that invitation," he told her.

"_You _turned down Rose? For _sex_? "

"I didn't turn her down! I just didn't want her to be a one-night stand. She's worth more than that to me. I want to take her out on a real date and when I do sleep with her, I want it to be meaningful. Trust me, I want her. I really do. God, I've ruined everything. Bella you have to help me," Emmett pleaded.

"Wow…no wonder she was so pissed. I don't think Rose has _ever _been turned down." Bella let out a long sigh. "Well, I do know that she _was_ interested in you. So if you are lucky, you might still have a chance."

"Yes!" Emmett punched the air.

"But! I must warn you… Rose has just gotten out of an on-again-off-again relationship. And her ex- well, let's just say he's notorious for wooing her back into the "on" status. He's been working on it since they broke up the last time. And after your little stunt on Saturday, I wouldn't doubt it if you unintentionally shoved her back in Roy's direction."

"Oh, fuck me…"

"I sure hope she will… eventually. Trust me, Alice and I do _not _care for Roy. We would both much rather see you with Rose. I'll help you the best I can, but the rest is up to you."

"Thanks Bella. You're the best honestly..." Emmett gave her a fist pump.

"Alright then. So, this is what I was thinking I should do. Let me know if it will work…"

Emmett relayed the details of his plan to Bella, who offered support and suggestions where she could.

Eventually, they went over the presentation materials they had for their meeting for tomorrow. Bella proposed a few ideas that she thought would bring a little extra. Emmett agreed, so she got straight to work revising the presentation.

She had wanted to include a few perspective drawings to show the clients a better visual of their concepts. Whenever Bella worked on a new project, she always sketched out her ideas to better illustrate how the space would all come together. All she needed to do was touch up and finalize her original sketches and add them to a presentation board.

Around eight o'clock Bella felt confident that she had a solid presentation. Finally breaking her concentration, she stood to gather her things. She figured she must have been one of the last people still at the office, for it was eerily quiet. On her way towards the front door, Bella noticed a light on in the conference room. Through the side light window, she spotted a disheveled Edward hunched over the table. Piles of papers were spread out on the conference table, and small balls of trace paper gathered around the trashcan.

Edward looked up and saw her standing on the other side of the glass, and waved her to come in. Bella was startled and flustered that she had been spotted watching him.

_So much for avoiding Edward Cullen, at least I can still say no to tequila. _Reluctantly, she opened the door and stood in the entrance of the room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disrupt you. I just noticed the light was on as I was leaving," Bella said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. You're not disturbing me at all. I'd _actually_ have to be getting work done for that to happen," he said looking defeated. Curiosity got the best of her, and she moved towards the table to see what Edward was working on.

"Do you mind?" she asked before picking up some of the sketches.

"Be my guest…" He waved his hand. "…I could use a fresh set of eyes on this anyway."

Her forehead furrowed as she concentrated on the conceptual sketches of some of the venues and then on the proposed master site plan of the city. She studied the last one a little longer trying to visualize the recreation of the city. Breaking the silence Edward spoke up.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"Well, it looks like it's not a bad start…" she began.

"Start?! This is the second round of design concepts!" Edward was offended at her words.

"Oh- I didn't mean it like that," Bella stumbled. "I didn't know. I just thought that the site plan looked incomplete, so I figured… You know forget it. Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I should leave anyway. Sorry to bother you." She got up from the conference chair and started to leave.

"Wait!" Edward called her back and Bella froze in her tracks.

"Sit down. What do you mean the site plan looked incomplete?"

"I don't know what I'm talking about. Please, just forget I said anything," she pleaded.

"No, I want to know what you were referring to."

Bella sighed and gave in to his request. "Well, I couldn't help but notice that most of the proposed venues are located either centrally, to the north, or to the west. I figured you still had yet to incorporate the south side."

"The south side?" he asked.

"Well, yeah…"

"And what would you propose to do there?"

"I'm not sure exactly. But I know the city is consistently trying to rebuild the South side to make it as desirable as the North side. Perhaps, this is the opportunity that it's been waiting for," she finished.

Edward sat back in his chair and swiveled from side to side silently, chewing on the tip of his pen. Bella agonized at his silence for what seemed like an eternity. When he looked up at her with his gold eyes, he smiled.

"That's a brilliant idea." Bella let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Really?" she asked, wanting to clarify she heard correctly. "You think it's a good idea?"

"Yes, I do." He stood and grabbed the site plan to study it. "This is exactly the kind of input I've been needing. We've run dry with suggestions as this point. Actually, Emmett and I were discussing recommending you for this project this morning. I'm going to speak with Carlisle and let him know I want you on the team."

"Wow, thank you," Bella replied, still stunned that he was reacting so well to her suggestion. "I thought you'd been upset with me suggesting my ideas."

"I'll admit, it is sometimes humbling to take cues from people who have less experience. However, that doesn't mean their ideas aren't as good or valuable," he said with a smile and started collecting the papers on the conference table. Taking notice, Bella helped him collect his things.

"Don't worry about it. I got it," Edward told her as they both reached for a stack of plans, their hands scarcely touching for a moment. Time seem to stand still, as they both stood unmoved. Bella looked up to meet his honey eyes, a rush of blood flooded her cheeks. Her head spun at the look he gave her, making her feel drunk.

"Hey, you two! What's going on in here?" Mike burst through the door of the conference room, his brief case strap across his chest. Startled, they both snapped to attention at his presence.

Edward looked away from her and began stacking papers into neat piles.

"Just going over some ideas for the 2016 project. What are you still doing here Mike?"

"I had to finish up a couple of proposals that need to get out. Are you all heading down now? I'll walk with you, so we can lock up together," Mike asked.

Bella waited for Edward to respond, he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her. Confused at his sudden cold shoulder, she handed him the papers she had been holding. He snatched them without looking up.

"Shall we go?" he asked, addressing Mike.

"Sounds good." Mike held the door open for Bella. She waited for the other two to exit and then followed behind them towards the elevator.

The elevator ride to the ground floor was silent, except for Mike's incessant chatter. He was still going on as they walked out to the street. Seeing an opportunity to get away, Bella raised her hand for an oncoming cab.

"Hey, you want to share a cab?" Mike asked her.

"Uh…" Bella tried to find an excuse as the yellow car stopped in front of her.

"Mike, you live in the south loop. That would not make sense," Edward told him, and flagged down another cab going southbound. "Here's a cab for you. I'll escort Bella home."

"Oh okay. See you two tomorrow!" Mike waved goodbye as he crossed the street.

"Thanks," Bella muttered as she got into the cab. Edward slid in beside her.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Oh!" Bella gave her address to the driver.

"Two stops, please," he added.

Bella watched the glittering lights of the high rise buildings as they moved through the city. Leaning as far away from him as possible, she could feel his eyes on her but she did not dare to glance over. Grateful to leave as the cab pulled in front of her house, Bella fished out a few dollars for her part of the fare, not meeting his eyes as she handed him the money.

"No Bella. I've got it covered," he told her. Covering her hand full of money with both of his, he moved it towards her lap. Bella felt on fire at the touch of his warm hands. Forgetting everything, she looked up and met his eyes. They bore down at her, and she didn't understand the meaning behind them. Confused at his vacillating emotions, she tore her hand away. Bella jumped out of the car and ran up to the front of her house without a glance back. Flustered she finally managed to get her key in the door. Slamming the door behind her, she leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. Even with her eyes closed, she couldn't get his face out of her mind.

"Bella?" a high-pitched voice spoke in front of her. Her eyes flew open to Alice standing inches away from her face. "You okay?" Bella stood and composed herself.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Good. Oh thank god your home! I need help!" she pleaded desperately.

"Um… with more wedding stuff?" she asked cautiously.

"What? No, with all these flowers!" Bella looked around the room and spotted a bouquet of roses on the entry table.

"Those are nice. From Jasper I imagine," she said walking over to pick up the card.

"I wish. No. Those are for Rose… from Roy," she said. Bella gave Alice a confused look.

"Okay. Well it's been about a week now. Roy is obviously up to his old tricks. I don't see why you need my help," said Bella, setting the card back down on the table.

"_This _is not the problem…" Alice grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the kitchen. "…This is." Bella covered her mouth in shock as she looked around the room. Their kitchen looked more like a garden. Every surface was covered in flowers. Dozens upon dozens of bouquets of various flowers, not one alike.

"What… the? Jasper?" Bella tried to make out.

"No. Theseare for Rose… from _Emmett_." She gestured towards the flowers. Bella's mouth hung open, still in shock.

"Has she seen these yet?"

"No, not yet. They keep coming every hour on the hour. I had planned to work from home today to get stuff _done_. Instead, I became best friends with the flower delivery boy."

"How many are there?"

"Forty-four. Bouquets that is." Alice glanced at her watch. "And I'm sure we'll make that forty-five in about fifteen minutes."

"Ugh, _Emmett!_" Bella wined. "He clearly misunderstood my advice."

"Wait- you told him to do this?" Alice spun to face her.

"No! He just pleaded his case with me this morning. I _might've _mentioned Roy and the methods he's used on Rose before."

"Bella!"

"I didn't think he'd turn our house into a flower shop!" The girls heard the front door slam and froze in place.

"_fucking Roy…"_ they heard Rose mutter from the other room.

"Hey! I'm home," she called.

"We are in the kitchen!" shouted Alice. Bella shoot her a concerned look. They both had no idea how she was going to react and braced themselves for impact.

"How was your d-" Rose stopped in her tracks "What the heck?" Bella and Alice both took a few small steps away from Rosalie.

"Is this a joke?" she asked them, both shaking their heads.

"Emmett," Alice managed to squeak out.

"Huh…" Rose seemed to calm down a bit and picked up one of the cards from the bouquets.

"This came with one of them. I think that one over there." She handed Rose an envelope and pointed towards a bouquet of brightly colored orange gerberas, blue irises and hydrangea and bronze lilies in a clear glass.

"The Bears colors," she said pulling two tickets out of the envelope for that Sunday's Bears versus the Packers game.

"Wow… that's a really nice gift! Those are hard to come by," said Alice. Rose shrugged her shoulders.

"Not when you have season tickets."

"Still, he gave you _his_ tickets. Are you going to go?" Bella asked.

"Yes of course. I'd be crazy not to," she replied. Bella let out a sigh or relief.

"Oh good, now can you please call him so he will stop delivering flowers! We are running out of room and poor lil' Rick is probably tired of coming over here."

"Rick?" she asked.

"The delivery kid."

"I'm not calling him. _This _doesn't absolve him from what he did."

"What exactly _did _he do?" Alice stomped her foot. Bella shot her a look of warning, and Alice picked up on it.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter. I'm sure you have your reasons, but no more flowers!" she declared.

"Fine. Bella will you please inform your boss that I received his gifts and that we will have a lovely time at the game on Sunday." Bella took out her phone and began to text Emmett as Rose spoke.

"Do you want me to tell him where to meet you or anything?" she asked before sending it off.

"No. Weas in,_ you_ and I will be going to the game on Sunday," Rose clarified.

"Me?! No, no, no. I'm not high jacking my boss's tickets with you." Bella raised her hands in defense.

"Bella, they were a gift to me and _I_ plan on going. That doesn't mean I have to go with him."

"Ughhhh…" groaned Bella, as she re-typed the text. "...and _this_ is why I didn't want you to get involved with my co-workers," she muttered under her breath. The door bell rang, and Alice ran off to answer it.

"Oh hey again, Rick. Hopefully this will be the last of them for now. Rose is here," she told him, grabbing an arm full of Tiger Lilies.

"Rose! More flowers!" Alice called from the other room and came back to the kitchen. She handed them to Rose, who picked up the card.

"What does it say? I've been dying to read these all day by the way," said Alice. Rose rolled her eyes and removed the small piece of paper from the envelope and read.

_Rose, _

_Another hour passes since I've seen you Saturday and you're still fresh in my mind. I still lack the ability to convey my feelings for you. So the words of another I quote:_

_Yearning from desire_

_You opened the floodgates_

_Touched the soul_

_Made me shake, quiver, and roll_

_Yearning from desire_

_You taunted and teased_

_Touched the soul_

_Made me wanting, craving, for more_

_Yearning from desire_

_You just disappeared_

_Touched the soul_

_Made me empty, crying, and lull_

_Yearning from desire_

_I will you back_

_Touch my soul_

_Yearning for more_

_-Your Emmett_

"Damn, I didn't think Emmett was one for poetry," said Bella.

"Obviously, he's not. If he's using others work," said Rose bitterly, trying to find an empty spot to set the flowers down.

"Still… he hasn't even been on a date with you, and he's already treating you like a Queen. Why don't you just give him a chance?"

"Because!" Rose snapped. The girls froze. Finally the Rose they had been dreading appeared.

"Because he fucking didn't want to fucking sleep with me!" Rose shouted before storming off to her room.

Alice let out a low whistle.

"Well that explains it then," she said.

"Erm, yeah. I'm heading to bed. I've had a long day and I've got that presentation tomorrow."

"Okay good night Bella. Hey- will you at least confirm with Emmett that there's not going to be any more deliveries? I'm exhausted," she plopped down on one of the stools.

"Sure, I'll text him," she sighed before heading to her room.

***

Awww... isn't Emmett a sweety pie? Now, I realize Edward would probably be voted "most likely to write poetry to a girl" of all the Twi boys. Which is why Emmett had to get help. :)

Okay, I posted TWO chapters today, since I love you... so show me some and review! let me know what you think!

And again. I'm pimping out my story "The Chicago Outfit" written for the darkward contest. It's way different than this story, so go read/review.


	6. Chapter 6

Holla at my Beta's! Rachelcullen77 and qjmom!

AN: I've decided that since everyone seems to be into the whole "playlist" thing, i might need to look into that. However, since I basically listen to the same thing when I write, it would be probably boring and redundant. So, I was thinking to myself...what else inspires my writing?? and my thought...food and drink! so I'm going to be giving you my "menu" instead and share with you what I consumed while writing my chapters. perhaps it will make you hungry?? I dunno! So here goes.

This chap was weird... I consumed several cups of black coffee, popcorn, and vanilla ice cream topped with sugar free swiss miss hot chocolate mix. (P.S. totally p-m-sing...)

Check out the new banner at Twilighted! http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)?sid=7539

***

The beep of the alarm rang for the third time that morning. Rose slammed her hand against it to silence it. Flipping the sheets off her body, she groaned in protest when the bitter cool morning air hit her skin. One of the things she loved about being an actress/model/temp worker, was the flexible work schedule; only working when she had to. Today she had her big audition at an ungodly early hour, well for her at least. Normally getting up at six for a nine am call time wouldn't be such a big deal, but she hadn't been able to get much sleep the night before.

She lay listlessly in the bed as the thoughts torturing her from the night before came rushing back. Rose was the type that liked being in control. She had always been one to grab life by the balls. Lately, her world had been rotating off its axis. Sitting up she ran her hands through her long blonde hair and shimmied over to her bathroom. Jumping into the shower, the hot water felt good against her tired body. As she massaged the shampoo in her hair, confused thoughts of Emmett and Roy raced through her mind.

Roy, he was predictable. She knew what to expect from him, and in some ways she enjoyed it. He gave her exactly what she wanted: affirmation and attention. He paraded her around like a trophy and she had to admit she liked that about him. However, Roy was not without his faults either. They fought like crazy. He seemed to drive her up a wall all the time and his need to claim her didn't fly with Rose. She liked being the one in charge, and usually with her looks, she was able to do just that. Roy… well, he proved to be difficult and that was part of the reason they had broken up so many times before.

Then there was Emmett. Rose had felt something with him that she hadn't felt… probably ever. The feeling was primal and magnetic. The sort of feeling that makes you want to drop your panties, let the guy club you over your head, and drag you back to his cave. _God, he was gorgeous too. _His sweet smile and dimples made her want to melt, and Rose didn't melt. She did the melting. She had wanted him, really wanted him and then –Snap! Just like that, he refused her. Rose didn't think she had ever been turned down for sex when she wanted it. Thinking back to that night, he had definitely seemed interested in her. She replayed how his hand had gently caressed over her back. Oh, how she had wanted his large, strong hands running over her skin. Her body warmed at the thought.

Shutting off the shower, Rose stepped out into the cold air. _Chicago was fucking freezing in the mornings! _She had invested in a heated towel rack last year and wrapped the toasty cloth around her body. Rose shook the excess moisture from her hair and started up the blow dyer.

_Emmett had wanted me, turned me down, and then sent me the entire contents of a florist shop. _

Rose had been completely caught off guard when she arrived home yesterday. The flowers from Roy were to be expected. If she were honest with herself, she was surprised it had been a whole week before she received them. But then… there was the kitchen. Every surface was covered in flowers. After Bella and Alice had gone to bed, she had crept down stairs to retrieve the rest of the cards from the bouquets. Each one was filled with a beautiful poem. Normally, Rose wouldn't have swooned over the conventional flowers and poems, but this… she felt was real, from the heart. It touched her again in a way she was unfamiliar with, making her more confused than she had been before.

Rose shut off the blow dyer and began fixing her hair into soft loose curls. Having been in such a state on Sunday, Rose had needed a pick-me-up. Something to rebuild her shaken confidence. So, when Roy called her to come over for dinner on Monday, she went. Nothing had happened, a fact she was glad about now. She wasn't even dating Emmett, but when she came home and found his gifts, she felt a twinge of guilt for being with Roy that night. Almost, like she felt guilty for cheating… almost.

Applying the finishing touches to her hair and make-up, Rose was now ready for her audition. Grabbing her headshot, resume and the script, she headed out the door. She ignited the engine of her mustang and sped off to what would hopefully be a future job.

****

"Bella, you knocked it out of the park!" Emmett exclaimed as he drove his Jeep through the streets of the loop. Bella blushed at his words. Their presentation had gone exceedingly well. So well, that the client had told them that they had five more locations across the country that they needed design services for.

"Well, you did most of the talking," said Bella bashfully.

"That doesn't matter. It was your design ideas that won them over. They even loved the perspective drawings so much that they want copies to put up in their lobby for clients to see. We are going out for a long lunch to celebrate," he told her pulling up to the valet in front of an Italian restaurant. The valet opened the door for Bella and she slid out of the car onto the pavement.

"This really isn't necessary, Emmett. I was just doing my job," she protested.

"Nonsense! You deserve it and don't even think about denying me a good excuse for eating a nice lunch." He winked at her and opened the front door.

"Alright fine," she gave in as she stepped inside the restaurant.

"Table for two please," Emmett told the hostess. She nodded in reply and grabbed two menus and led them to a booth towards the back of the restaurant.

"Oh, and can you send over a bottle of whatever wine you think is the best?" he added. Bella shot Emmett a look. The hostess nodded and left them to look over the menus.

"Emmett, I really don't think I should be drinking in the middle of the work day," she protested again.

"Bells, you work for C. Designs. One of the most successful Design firms there is. With success comes stress, and with stress comes alcohol. Everyone at the firm is practically an alcoholic," he laughed as the waiter brought a bottle to the table and poured out two glasses. "Even so, this is a cause for celebration. Now, let's drink to your stress- I mean success." He raised his glass. Bella chuckled lightly and rolled her eyes.

"I've been doing far too much toasting lately, but when in Rome, I suppose." She gestured to the Italian décor of the restaurant and raised her glass. They both took a sip and set their glasses down.

"What can I get for you today?" the waitress asked them.

"Steak, definitely the rib eye steak, with the side of potatoes," Emmett told her. Bella chucked at his order.

"How manly of you," she teased him.

"I'll have the ravioli, definitely the mushroom ravioli, with a side salad. Thank you," she told the waitress as she handed over her menu.

"What? No meat? That's bird food, Bella!"

"Nope, no meat for me. Ever. I'm a vegetarian, Emmett." She laughed at his shocked face.

"Ever? How do you live?"

"Oh, I make due just fine," she said teasing him.

"So, are you going to be grossed out watching me eat?"

"I think I'll survive," she said rolling her eyes and picking up a piece of bread to butter it.

"Wait. So, what about Rose? Would you say she's a salad girl type, or more of a carnivore?" he tried to ask slyly. Bella glanced down at her watch to check the time.

"Wow, you waited until one o'clock to finally mention Rose!" she teased. She swore she saw Emmett blush a little.

"I'm only asking, you know, in case I throw a dinner party or something. I need to know what everyone likes," he said picking at his dinner roll.

"Right, right. Oh, of course. When should I tell my carnivore friend this party is?" she asked dryly.

"Hmm, Not sure yet." He smiled at her admission. "I'll keep you posted though."

The waitress brought over their food and set it before them. Emmett smiled widely at the spread in front of him.

"Mmm… meat," he mumbled as he speared a large hunk with his fork. Bella took a few bites of her ravioli, washing it down with the wine. The sauce for the pasta was delicious, the food rich and the wine warming.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you…" Bella said between bites. "What about our conversation yesterday gave you the impression that sending Rose all the flowers in the Greater Chicago Area would be a great idea?" She set her fork down on her plate and stared Emmett down, his mouth hung open like he had just been caught stealing cookies from a cookie jar.

"Uh... well," he coughed to clear his throat, "You mentioned that Roy tends to buy her flowers when they are broken up. So I bought her some flowers." He was avoiding eye contact with Bella.

"Some? That's the understatement of the century. Emmett, you bought them all!" she laughed.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure she knew I missed her." He blushed.

"That's sweet," said Bella taking another sip of her wine that had been refilled. Emmett shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, about the Bears tickets though. I didn't know Rose would force me to go with her," Bella apologize. Emmett perked up and smiled at her.

"Don't apologize. You both will have a good time at the game." He smiled to himself. They finished eating their lunch and Emmett waved down the waitress for the check. While they waited he topped off the last of the wine in Bella's glass.

"Uh, please no more. I'm already feeling it and I still have half the day left," Bella pleaded, trying to wave him away. Emmett just rolled his eyes and kept filling her glass.

"Right, Bella. A couple glasses aren't going to do anything to you. I saw how much you drank Saturday," he laughed.

"Then you should also remember how drunk I was!" she half pleaded, half laughed. "There's no way I would've been dancing with Edward like that, had I not been completely wasted," she mumbled the last part out, just loud enough that Emmett heard.

"Wait, are you saying Edward was taking advantage of the situation?" he asked her.

"Because I didn't realize at the time, I was so wrapped up in Rose." Bella could see he was starting to get worked up.

"Huh? What? No! That's not what I meant," Bella said slightly confused.

"That son of a bitch!" Emmett muttered to himself.

"Please, don't say anything to Edward. I don't even know what you're worried about. I got myself drunk and maybe got a little too comfortable. No harm done," Bella tried to explain. Emmett shoved his card back in his wallet and signed the check. He helped Bella to her feet and they left the restaurant. They stood silently together as they waited for the valet to retrieve Emmett's Jeep.

"Thanks for lunch," said Bella as she watched the cars drive by on the street.

"Oh sure. My pleasure. Congrats again on a job well done today," he added. Bella nodded, but didn't reply. She could tell something was up with Emmett. She knew it had to do with her and Edward, but she didn't know if Emmett was mad at her or not.

"Hey, why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off? The day's almost over, I can just drop you off at home," Emmett told her.

"Oh, um. Well, I have stuff I should probably get to..."

"Don't worry about it," he said forcefully. The car arrived and Emmett silently drove her back to her apartment. He pulled over to the side of the road and stopped to drop her off.

"It's a cute place," he said about her house.

"Oh thanks, Alice found it," she explained.

"Cool. Hey, that reminds me, I need to call Jasper…" he trailed off. Bella took his cue and jumped out of the black Jeep.

"See you tomorrow, Emmett."

"Yup! Later Bells!" he said right before peeling out down the street. Bella walked to the front of the house and slid her key into the lock. She had the whole afternoon to herself now and contemplated what she was going to do. Feeling pretty good from the rich food and wine, Bella thought a nice afternoon read and maybe a nap sounded good.

But, the front door was already unlocked. _That's weird. _Bella cautiously pushed open the door and slowly crept inside. She thought she heard someone in the kitchen moaning in pain. Her house had been broken into before, but luckily she had not been home at the time. Bella swiftly but quietly made her way down the hall to the kitchen. She could hear whimpering noises and spotted an arm on the ground from behind the island.

"Alice?!" she yelled running around the corner before freezing in her tracks.

"Holy fuck, you two!" Bella threw her hands over her eyes and spun around to exit the room, but instead with her eyes closed she ran hard into the wall behind her. "Ah, fuck my head!" she cried, after slamming her head against the wall. Bella had walked in to find Alice laying spread eagle on the kitchen floor and Jasper partaking in a lunch of sorts.

"Bella! What are you doing home?" Alice sprang to her feet, grabbing an apron to cover herself. Bent over at the waist, Bella held her head in her hands. She felt Alice's gentle touch as she led her to take a seat.

"Jasper, grab some ice," Alice commanded. "There's going to be a little bump it looks like, but it shouldn't be that bad."

"Emmett let me have the afternoon off. What are _you_ two doing home? Well, obviously I know what you were doing. But why are you home?" Bella asked.

She opened her eyes to find Alice squatting in front of her donning an apron and Jasper standingstarkers, holding up a dinner plate for a loin cloth. The cold ice burned as she placed it on her forehead.

"Ah man, Jasper! I'm never eating from that again!" Bella groaned. Alice giggled and Jasper just shrugged his shoulders like it was completely natural for him to be holding a dish over his front.

"When do you two get married again?" Bella teased them. "And what's with the afternoon delight?" Alice blushed, looking over to Jasper, who just smiled back.

"Um, we had to go pick out China for our registry…" she began.

"So?" Bella asked, still confused.

"Well, you know how much Alice likes shopping." Jasper winked at Bella.

"Gross! Alice, only you would experience shopping as foreplay," Bella pretended to gag herself with two fingers. "Alright, after I go gouge my eyes out, I'm going to lay down in my room. Please, bleach all tainted surfaces after you're done." Bella grasped the ice wrapped in a towel and stood to her feet, while covering the side of her face with one hand to keep the nude Jasper out of sight. Alice giggled at Bella's dry remark.

"There's not much counter space to take advantage of with all of Rose's flowers. We need to de-flower our kitchen!" Alice laughed. Though they couldn't see, Bella rolled her eyes at Alice's cheesy joke as she left the kitchen.

"I think we already have," Jasper grabbed Alice by the waist and pulled her towards him. She squirmed in his arms, which made him drop the plate to the ground. It broke with a large crash between their feet.

"Yikes!" Alice screamed as she jumped back from the broken plate.

"I can still hear you, Jasper!" Bella shouted as she headed up stairs. The pair exchanged a look and burst out laughing. Alice made to go grab a dustpan and broom, but instead Jasper pulled her back to him by the apron, squealing when he picked her up and set her on the counter. Pulling her into his arms for a kiss, Alice wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Breaking the kiss, Jasper flipped up the apron and took a half step back.

"Now, where was I…"

****

Bella fell backward onto her bed, letting out a loud sigh. Her head was spinning from the wine and she felt the bump on her forehead spreading as it pounded her mind. Desperately wanting to take a nap, Bella resisted in case she might have a concussion. A couple of copies of Architectural Digest lay on her bedside table. Bella rolled over to her side and grabbed one and started to flip through the pages of the glossy magazine.

The vibration of Bella's blackberry shook on top her comforter and she leaned over to retrieve it. A flood of emails from the office had come streaming in. She realized her phone reception must have been bad for the last several hours, since some of the emails were from that morning. Scrolling through the emails, she came across a meeting invite from Edward Cullen for that afternoon. The meeting would already be going as of now. _Shit! _Bella hoped that Emmett would have relayed that she went home to Edward.

She continued to flip through her emails, until she reached the latest one, timed a couple minutes ago. It was from Edward.

_Bella,_

_Where are you? Why aren't you at the meeting? – Edward_

_Shit and double shit! _Bella screamed inside to herself. She began to text a response, but struggled to find the words to say.

_Edward, _

_I'm so sorry I missed the meeting. I just received your invite. I was out of the office for a presentation with Emmett, and my_ _cell was not working properly today. Emmett let me go home early this afternoon. I do not think I'll be able to make it back into the office today, due to a self-inflicted injury as well. Again, I apologize for missing the meeting. Please let me know if there's anything I need to make up or take care of tomorrow. –Bella _

She sent of the message and hoped the she wouldn't be in too much trouble. Edward had wanted her there for a planning meeting. Sighing in frustration, Bella fell on to her back and readjusted the ice on her forehead. The buzz of her phone rang once more and Bella grabbed it, holding it over her face to read the message:

_Bella,_

_Thanks for letting me know. You and I will have a morning breakfast meeting to get you up to speed. Meet me at The Broken Yolk at 6 am. –Edward_

Bella groaned when she thought about how early she needed to get up tomorrow.

_Edward,_

_Sounds good, see you then. –Bella_

Bella set her phone beside her on the nightstand. She had mixed feelings about this breakfast meeting with Edward. _Was it really necessary to meet for breakfast over a missed meeting? _She didn't know, and was wondering if Emmett would be upset over it. Not the she had a choice in the matter either way. Trying to decide what to wear, Bella finally drifted off to sleep.

****

Ah the joys of roommates :)

Next chapter we have breakfast in bed with Edward....well maybe not in bed, yet.

You know the drill: REVIEW!!! love you all! xoxo!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Thanks agian to qjmom and Rachelcullen77 for being my sexy beta's. xoxo!

Also, shout out to all those who spread the word about this little story o'mine. You know who you are, and you know you rock :)

SM owns twilight. not me.. but you knew that already. you're so wise.

Ahhhh yes, this chapter was written during a few meal sessions. Once was after discovering that Culver's has veggie burgers! (who knew!?!?! not me!) so i enjoyed a delicious veggie burger with the works, and fries dipped in my chocolate shake... mmmmmmmm

But enough about that... on to the good stuff!

******

There are times, such as this, when Edward Cullen wished he had a flip cell phone. It wasn't that he didn't like his PDA, because he did. It was just that sometimes he longed for the dramatic snap of shutting a flip phone in the palm of his hand. Firmly pushing the tiny "End" button on his current phone didn't have quite the same effect when hanging up on someone.

Emmett had been reaming him all morning about taking advantage of Bella on Saturday night. He had no idea where this was coming from and why it was suddenly an issue. How Emmett thought dancing with Bella had been taking advantage of her, was beyond him. Best friend or not, Edward did not like being told what to do. Yeah, she was a company employee, but where did he come off? Besides, was it not _his _father that was the CEO of the company?

Frustrated, Edward raked his hands through his bronzed hair. He knew that being the son of Carlisle didn't make an inch of a difference. Carlisle treated Emmett like one of his own. He knew why Emmett was being so cautious with Bella. Ever since the incident with Tanya, he did need to be more careful. However, there was something about Bella that made him throw caution to the wind. But now that he was on Emmett's radar, he would have to mind his step around her.

Glancing at his watch, he had about fifteen minutes before their breakfast meeting. Edward, of course, had left this out of the conversation when he spoke with Emmett, not needing to be raked over the coals for anything else. Edward didn't know why he had insisted that they meet for breakfast; it certainly wasn't common practice at the office. It was almost like a knee jerk reaction; he needed to see her and it was the first thing that came to mind. Hopefully, since Bella was still so green, she wouldn't think much of it.

It was just that Edward had been frustrated and if he were honest, a little disappointed that she'd missed yesterday's meeting. He had been looking for any excuse to talk to her again; the 2016 project seemed like the only platform he had. Grabbing his keys and messenger bag, Edward left his apartment to hop in a cab to the restaurant. Broken Yolk wasn't too far from his apartment and about half way to the office.

Edward arrived a few minutes early and took a seat in a booth that faced the entrance. He pulled out a few of the notes from the meeting and placed them on the table. Checking his watch again, it was exactly six o'clock. Letting out a few breaths in his hands to check that it didn't smell, Edward grabbed a mint from his front pocket and popped it in his mouth, just in case.

He glanced at his watch one more time; still six o'clock. Realizing he had been nervously drumming the table in a rhythmic beat, Edward stilled his hands and placed them in his lap. _Why am I acting like a moron?_

He figured that Emmett had got the best of him that morning and blamed his nervousness on that fact.

The front door to the restaurant swung open and the streaming sunlight burst into the room like a shot. Through the sunny haze emerged the outline of the subtle curves of a woman. Bella glowed like an angel in the early morning sun as it radiated around her. Edward held his minty breath as he watched her glide towards him and take a seat in the booth.

"Hi," she said a little out of breath.

"Hi," he managed to get out as a reply. Edward was transfixed. The soft waves of her brown hair fell around her face. The morning sun reflected and highlighted the auburn tints. Her cheeks were flushed, like she had been rushing.

"So…" Bella tried to fill the awkward silence. With an odd blank look upon his face, Edward was still staring straight at her, making her feel uncomfortable. Her voice snapped him from his trance.

"Oh, um. Thanks for meeting me here this morning," he stumbled to find his words. "Do you want something to drink? Water, orange juice, coffee?"

"Coffee sounds good. Thanks," Bella replied, trying to stifle a yawn. Edward waved the waitress over to fill up their mugs with coffee.

"Cream and sugar?" he asked, pushing the tray towards her.

"No, thanks. I like mine black," she told him.

"Me too."

"Yeah, I find that the cream and sugar are too sweet and take away from the flavor," she added before taking a hesitant sip of the hot beverage.

"That's exactly how I feel about coffee. Anything extra just ruins it. Give me a straight up cup o'joe," he chuckled nervously. Bella smiled at him, peering through her lashes as she held the mug between both hands.

With those doe eyes looking up at him, Edward found himself lost at sea. He felt like Augustus Gloop from Willy Wonka, on the edge of being sucked into the chocolaty pools of her eyes. Eyes which made her look so pure and innocent, not to be touched by humans hands. But unlike Augustus, Edward refrained himself, and hoped he would later be rewarded with a lifetime supply of chocolate.

"So, you wanted to discuss the meeting I missed yesterday?" Bella asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes of course." Edward pulled out a manila folder with several documents regarding the project and began to discuss the revised details of the project with her.

"Ready to order?" their waitress asked. Edward gestured for Bella to order first.

"I'll have an egg white veggie omelet with side of hash browns and wheat toast."

"That sounds good, I'll have the same," he finished.

"I like the revised concept you have for the overall city layout," Bella told him, gently running her fingers over the plans as she spoke. "There are definitely a few venues I'd like to sink my teeth into."

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that. I'm going to set up a design charrette for our project and I want you to be a part of it." Bella looked at him surprised, her eyes filled with gratitude. Edward swore he heard the forewarning of the 'Oompa Loompa' song growing off in the distance. He heeded their advice and broke eye contact just in time for their food to arrive.

"Two veggie omelets," said the waitress, setting the plates before them. Bella had noticed how Edward seemed to be acting out of sorts this morning, his usual calm and cool exterior gone. She chalked it up to stress and reached across the table for the ketchup. Twisting off the cap Bella began to pound her tiny fist against the "57" on the glass bottle. Not making any progress, she sighed and attempted to beat up the ketchup bottle again.

"You like ketchup on your eggs?" Edward asked.

"Hmpf- yeah. The more-ugh- the better," she stammered out, now practically punching the thing.

"Here, let me." He grabbed the bottle from her and began to tap the bottom with the palm of his hand. "Wow, it's really in there." He gave the bottle one more firm hit. With a pop, ketchup came flying out, onto Bella's eggs, hash browns, and… onto her white shirt.

"Shit! I'm so sorry," Edward apologized. A stunned Bella looked down at the damage. The red substance dripped down her front like blood from a wound. Without thinking Edward sprang to his feet, dipped a napkin in water and began to wipe the ketchup from her chest. Shocked, Bella sat there as he rubbed her chest with the cloth. The reality of the situation took a moment to settle in, and she looked up at him slightly confused. Edward caught her eye and froze, taking a small step back.

"Oh my God, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to touch-" Edward stammered. Bella, now as red as the ketchup on her shirt, stood up and ran to the bathroom. Edward kicked himself for his inappropriate reaction. He had all but felt her up over their veggie omelets.

_Bella will probably hate me and tell Emmett. Fuck! Emmett! _Edward groaned and fell back into the booth. This would probably fuel the fire, and Edward did not feel like being raped… er- raked over hot coals again, though it would probably be more like a raping, he figured.

Bella emerged from the bathroom several minutes later, with the front of her white shirt wet and stained red. She sheepishly crossed her arms across her chest and sat down across from Edward.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. We can leave immediately and go get you a change of clothes." She looked up at him and chuckled a little to herself.

"You know, this is the second time in two weeks I've ruined a shirt being around you…" she laughed, grabbing her white napkin from the table and tucking it into her collar. "And yes, this time I'll be able to go home and change. But first you bought me breakfast and I'm starving." Bella dug into her ketchup covered eggs and hash browns. Slightly relieved at her levity of the situation Edward began to work on his breakfast as well.

"You know, you should try some ketchup on your eggs too." Bella winked at him and wiggled the bottle in front of him. Edward chuckled.

"There's no way I am giving you an opportunity for revenge," he laughed, raising his hands in defense. Bella shrugged her shoulders and took a bite of her toast.

"I'm sure I'll think of something." She winked at him and took another bite of eggs.

"Is that so?" he laughed. They managed to put the situation aside and finish up their breakfast. Edward got the bill and they exited the restaurant.

"So, I'll see you back at the office," Bella told him as she started to walk north on Wells Street back to her apartment.

"Where are you going?"

"Um… home to change my shirt." She gave him a dumb look and gestured to her front.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I was planning on getting you a cab there and then back to the office. Come on." He pulled her back by her arm and waved down an on-coming taxi. Following his lead Bella hopped into the cab with Edward. He told the driver the address and she gave him a wary look.

"What? I have a good memory," he told her. A short trip later they pulled in front of the apartment.

"Um…" Bella hesitated to get out of the car, "do you want to come inside? No use in letting the meter run." Edward nodded and paid the fare, following her to the front door. She paused before turning the key in the door.

"Uh, I left first, so I don't know what state Rose and Alice left our apartment in," she apologized in advance.

"I can wait outside if you prefer." Edward stepped down one step.

"No, I'm sure it's fine," she said, opening the door for them both. Hesitantly Edward stepped through the threshold of the door. It was like getting an inside view of the life of Bella. The one he was beginning to lose his sanity over. Edward surveyed the room and took it in. _Yup, three girls definitely live here._

"Wow, it smells amazing here." He took a sniff. "Girls really_ do_ smell like flowers."

"We have Emmett to thank for that," Bella laughed, gesturing to the kitchen full of flowers. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back down."

Edward nodded and peeked down the hall to the kitchen. He spotted the dozens upon dozens of flowers and laughed. _Only Emmett. _

He continued to survey the apartment, looking for clues that would tell him more about Bella. The only problem was any clue he found, he didn't know if it belonged to Bella, Alice, or Rose. Then, he spotted something in the front living room that caught his eye. Quickly he crossed the room over to the beauty in a natural blonde. Reaching out he ghosted his fingers over the perfectly sculptured body and up the long neck. He desperately wanted to hold it.

"You can touch it if you want."

Edward turned to find Bella in the entrance of the room watching him. Mouth wide open, he had been caught gawking at her most prized possession. He pointed dumbly at the object.

"Is this –"

"Yup, a C series 325 Rickenbacker, every detail exactly like the one John Lennon first used in 1958."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, everything. Even down to the gold-on-brown knobs."

"I'm jealous and impressed." Edward ran his hand down the neck of the guitar and picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his hands.

"Do you mind?" he asked taking a seat on the couch.

"Not at all," she said crossing the room to join him and sitting down beside him on the couch. Edward gently ran his fingers over the metal strings, letting out a resounding tone.

"Do you play?" she asked.

"Um, yeah a little. Mostly the piano, but I can play guitar too," he told her sheepishly.

"Play me something," she requested. Bella really liked how Edward looked with the guitar; it was a major turn on. Especially with his white button down shirt and black skinny tie, he looked very Beatlesesque.

"I suppose it's only fitting…" He began to strum the opening chords of a song Bella immediately recognized. It was an acoustic, much slower, more sensual version of the song. _Did he? No… _Bella quickly shunned any hopeful thoughts as he began to sing. His voice was deep and husky, and even at the innocent lyrics Bella felt herself blush.

_Oh yeah, I´ll tell you something_

_I think you´ll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_Oh, please, say to me_

_You´ll let me be your man_

_And please, say to me_

_You´ll let me hold your hand_

_Now let me hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_And when I touch you I feel happy, inside_

_It´s such a feeling_

_That my love_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

_Yeah you, got that something_

_I think you´ll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Edward strummed out the closing chords of the song and then looked up at Bella.

"That was… beautiful," she told him bashfully. His rendition of the song was incredible. They sat there in silence and stared at each other, neither one willing to be the first to speak or move. Edward felt himself begin to spiral again, as he looked deep into her brown eyes, longing to kiss her. The song of warning grew louder in his head. _Oompa loompa doompety dee. If you are wise you'll listen to me…_

"_Shut up!"_

"But I— I didn't say anything…" Bella looked stunned.

_Did I just say that out loud?_

"Oh, um. I- was talking to myself. Sorry." He was flustered and confused. The spell was now broken.

"Well, I suppose we should be getting to the office," Bella said standing.

"Oh, yeah. We should do that," he agreed, gingerly placing the Rick back on the stand.

Bella gathered her things and led them back to the front door.

"Got everything?"

"Yup." She opened the door for him and locked it behind them.

"Oh, and Bella, please send me the bill for the shirt. I'm so sorry again."

"It's fine, it was an accident. But I definitely will be sending you that bill." She winked at him. They grabbed a cab and headed over to the office, making small talk along the way. When the cab pulled in front of the high-rise building, Edward paid the fare and quickly hopped out of the car to open the door for Bella.

Standing to her feet, Bella noticed Cullen Designs "coffee and cigarette club" as she called it, enjoying a morning drag before work. It had appeared their ringleader, Jessica, had found her new plaything, Mike. Bella watched how she all but undressed herself for him. He was chatting with the group and every time he said something funny Jessica would laugh and grab onto his arm, giving him more ammunition.

Jessica must have felt herself being watched, because just at that moment, she locked eyes with Bella, smirking at her proudly, as though she had won something. _Won what? _Bella wondered. The smirk was quickly wiped from her face and replaced with a look of shock that slowly turned into an evil smile. Bella was utterly confused by that girl. Glancing one last time at the group, she saw them talking in a whispered huddle and brushed it off as she walked up the steps to the building.

The pair crossed the marble floored lobby to the elevator bank where there was a small gathering of C. Design employees. They all filed into the next available elevator. Edward stood next to Bella in the back corner of the small room. From this proximity he could smell her shampoo. He was tempted to grab a handful of her hair to get a better whiff.

"Hold the door!" someone called from the lobby. One of the passengers held the door open and a few members of the coffee and cigarette club filed in. Including Mike and Jessica, who squinted and glared at her, before settling into the over crowded space. As the new riders settled in, Bella was forced back up against Edward. Someone shoved her back and she tripped on an unidentified foot. The minor stumble went unnoticed to everyone except Edward, who grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back against him to steady her. Bella felt herself rush with blood at his touch on her hip. She could feel the hard muscles of his torso pressed against her back and the tingle of his hand sent an involuntary shiver through her body.

Edward stifled a groan as she had shaken her hips against his now growing erection.

_Oompa loompa doompety doo... I've got a large erection for you... _

The song began to ring loudly in his head, as he knew she would surely begin to feel his need for her.

_Fucking Oompa Loompa's! _

Not knowing what overcame him, Edward grabbed tighter onto her hips and pulled her back, grinding himself against her small firm butt. If she hadn't noticed him before, she did now. Bella let out a small squeak of shock at his boldness. Jessica shot her a dirty look and then turned away. Edward was still pressed firmly against her backside; her whole body was on fire at his touch. She felt him drag his fingers slowly up the side of her body, over her ribs, and then stopping when he felt her bra. He fingered at it through the fabric of her shirt and made his way back down, leaving a burning trail on her body. His hand trailed down to her waist and continued lower to the hem of her skirt. Playing with it, his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her legs. Bella felt herself starting to melt inside and grinded back against his erection. Edward let out a loud groan at her touch and heads whipped around to him.

"Indigestion," he muttered to the other passengers. His face burned beet red. Bella let out a small laugh. They were approaching the twenty-second floor quickly. The door opened and everyone began to rush out. Bella made to move but was stopped by Edward's hands keeping her in place. As the last passenger exited, the sliding doors began to close. Bella caught Jessica standing across the hall, staring at her with an ugly look smeared across her face, before the doors locked into place. Confused, Bella turned to face Edward who had slammed the stop button of the elevator car. His eyes were burning into hers.

"Edward, what the hell? That was my floor…" she began, but was stopped when he pulled her into his arms, their faces inches away from each other.

Neither one spoke as they stared into each other's eyes. Bella could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest and was embarrassed at how loud it was; only making it worse.

"Bella," Edward whispered softly. He cupped her face in his hands and titled her chin up. Slowly leaning forward, he closed the gap between them; their lips scarcely touching, just lightly brushing against one another. Edward grazed his lips over hers; the connection tingled and burned. He wanted to smother her with kisses, throw her over his shoulder, bring her home and shag her senseless, but instead was hesitant and conflicted. Before he was able to make any rash decisions, the alarm of the elevator went off and startled them both.

"Shit!" he muttered as he jumped back, tearing himself away from the spell. Like a coward he released the stop button and looked down at the floor, unable to face her. Bella stared at him feeling hurt and confused.

The elevator car started up again and opened at the twenty-third floor.

"Sorry," was all Edward muttered under his breath before running out of the elevator leaving her behind. She pressed the silver button marked for her floor and went back down. Standing there alone in the elevator, different thoughts raced through her mind about the morning's events.

Deciding she didn't need to dwell on them now, she pushed them aside and went to her desk to start work. She still had a lot to catch up on after Emmett had sent her home early yesterday, and she needed to get going on those proposals for the five other sites they had won at the presentation.

Her desk was littered with plans and papers people had dropped off during the last day or so. Filing the mess and going through the stack, she finally found the surface of her desk again. While waiting for her computer to start up, she spotted Jessica at the far end of the bank of workstations. She was chatting suspiciously with whoever worked in that cubicle and kept looking up.

_Is she looking at me? _Jessica noticed Bella and narrowed her eyes, giving her the dirtiest look she'd ever received.

_Whoa, what the hell did I do to her? _

Bella had been more befuddled in one morning than she had been in her entire life. Maybe she was suffering from a major head injury. Bella decided more coffee would be the best temporary solution she could come up with and stood up to head over to the break room when her phone rang.

"Bella Swan," she spoke into the phone.

"Hi, Bella. Mr. Cullen would like to see you," said the receptionist.

"Edward? Thanks Denise," she replied.

"No, Mr. _Carlisle _Cullen would like to see you immediately in his office," she spat out rudely and hung up the phone.

Bella stared at the other end of the receiver, the dial tone now ringing. Unwilling to make a move to get up, she found herself frozen in place.

_He knows. _

*****

Duh, Duh, Dunnnn.. (cue dramatic music here)

Please REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! why? because I said the magic word.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Twilight.

Thanks to Rachelcullen77 and qjmom for being my beta's! :) xoxo!

This Chapter contains a lot of fluff. consider yourself warned. :)

For this writing sess I enjoyed myself a FiberOne bar.. and wow, it made me gassy. That thing played me like musical instrument. Warning: Consume only in the privacy of your own home.

and that concludes my author note. :)

***

Bella stared at the black phone still in her hand. She needed to go see Carlisle, "immediately" as Denise had put it. There was only one reason she could think of as to why he'd want to see _her. _Her heart was pounding fiercely in her chest at the thought of getting sacked. Placing the phone down, Bella stood on unstable legs to make her way to the elevators.

As Bella struggled to put one foot in front of the other, the office corridor seemed to be swaying back and forth. _Focus! _Tears were starting to well in her eyes and she blinked wildly to keep them down. She felt as though she was going to her own personal guillotine, her career about to be chopped off at the head.

As she walked towards the reception area, she noticed Jessica at Denise's desk, their heads together laughing about something. Jessica's head shot up when she noticed her approaching, and walked over to meet her. Bella paused when she stood directly in her path.

"So, you're fucking Edward Cullen then?" She said it more like an accusation rather than a question.

"Huh?' _She must have seen us in the elevator… but how could she have?_

"I saw you two…" she said rudely. "getting out of the cab together this morning. My bet is that you don't last more than a week as his shiny new object." _Shit!_

"Wait, no. You've got the wrong idea. We were coming from a breakfast meeting," Bella tried to explain.

"Ha! You hear that, Denise, they were coming from a 'breakfast meeting,'" she said, emphasizing her sarcasm with air quotes and rolling her eyes.

"Nice one, Bella," said Denise.

"Wait— but—"

"Save it, Bella. You're the new office whore and everyone knows it, or at least they will… I told you I know everyone and _everything _that goes on around here," she said, her voice filled with venom. The office viper had bitten Bella.

Too fed up to argue anymore, Bella stepped around her and fled the room. She swung the glass door open and ran down the hall to the bank of elevators. Her eyes were red and brimming with tears. Bella jabbed hard at the up button repeatedly with her thumb. Not fearing the confrontation with Carlisle anymore, she just wanted the pain to be over. The elevator was empty. _Thank God. _From the reflection of the polished metal in the car, she wiped away at her tears and tried to make herself presentable in the eight-second ride up.

When the doors glided open Bella exited, keeping her head down, and walked towards Carlisle's office. Rounding the corner to the back office where all the partners were, she spotted Emmett chatting with someone from the corner of her eyes. _Please don't see me, please don't see me, please don't see me._

"Hey, Bella!"

_Aw, fucking nuggets. _Bella looked up at him in response, and he jogged over to join her.

"Whatcha doing up here? Need to see me?" he asked quickly as they walked down the hall together. His hands were deep in his pant pockets and…_was he skipping a little?_

"Uhh… no. Actually, Carlisle wanted to see me." …_about drying humping his son. _

"Oh cool, I need to chat with him too, actually, I'll come with you," he replied and smiled down at her. Bella was still trying to avoid eye contact and kept her head down.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? I don't know what he wants to see me about…" Bella really did not want Emmett there when she got fired, especially if it had to do with Edward. She would feel awful if that hurt their relationship.

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine." They stopped in front of their final destination and Emmett knocked loudly on the door.

"Come in!" They heard from inside. Emmett opened the door for Bella and they entered together.

"Bella! Emmett! How are you this morning? Please take a seat," he welcomed them in and gestured to the two guest chairs in front of his desk. Emmett pulled out one of the chairs for Bella and then sat down beside her. They sat silently in the room together. Carlisle leaned back in his chair, his elbows on the armrest and fingertips lightly touching each other as though he was getting ready to catch a football. He looked in deep thought and Bella waited nervously. She shot a glance over to Emmett who was bouncing one leg up and down with a funny grin on his face. Carlisle smiled at Emmett and then turned to face Bella.

"Bella, I imagine you know why you are here," he started. Her head fell and she stared at her lap. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

"Yes," she managed to squeak out.

"Good, and you know what is expected of you here at Cullen Designs."

"Yes, I do and I'm so sorry," she stammered out.

"Sorry?" he asked. Bella peeked up at him; Carlisle had leaned forward and looked at her quizzically.

"Um… yes?" she asked a bit unsure.

"Well, I don't know why you would be sorry for landing us five new projects and for suggesting great ideas for the 2016 project," he laughed. "Which is why I've arranged to promote you to Senior Project Designer.

"That's my girl!" Emmett slapped her on the back.

_Huh? What just happened?_

"Seriously?" Bella blinked several times just to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Yes, of course. We see a lot of promise in you, Bella. We hope that you will become part of the Cullen family here," he told her warmly.

"Oh wow, this… is… amazing! I'm really shocked. I thought I was going to get fired." She let out a long sigh and chuckled.

"Fired? Why on earth?" Carlisle and Emmett exchanged a confused look. Bella realized she had said too much.

"Well… um… someone is apparently spreading rumors about me and someone else," she tried to tell them as discreetly as possible. She had to give them _something_.

"I see…" Carlisle resumed his original position in his chair, "about Edward, I presume?" Bella nodded and Emmett growled.

"Well, I wouldn't let petty office drama get to you. And as far as office relationships go, I believe that full disclosure is the best policy," he finished.

"Okay."

"I apologize that I must make this brief. I need to jump on a call. You'll be getting a seven percent pay raise along with your promotion." He stood to his feet to shake her hand. "Congratulations again, Miss Swan. Oh, and Emmett? Go help her with her stuff."

"You got it!" He smiled and gave Carlisle a salute as they excited the office.

"My stuff?" she asked him as they walked.

"Yeah, you'll be moving up to the bull pen up on this floor. With all the other senior project designers," he told her.

"Oh really?" _You mean I'll be able to work without incessant gossip going on all around me? _Bella smiled to herself.

They went down to next floor to gather up her things. A few times, Bella caught Emmett eyeing the photo of Rosalie, and she tried not to laugh.

"I'm going to bring this up. Will you be able to manage the rest?" he asked, picking up the larger box of stuff. Bella nodded and he headed down the hall. Gathering up the last of her things, Bella grabbed the white stapler off her desk and put it in the box.

"You know, that's technically C's property," said Jessica, appearing out of nowhere.

"Yeah, I know."

"Oh good, I'm glad we're on the same page then," she said removing it and placing it back on the desk.

"Can I help you with something, Jessica?" Bella sighed. The girl was really testing her patience today. She casually reached for the stapler and put it back in the box.

"Me? No." She smirked, fiddling around with a pencil. "I'm just here to say goodbye." Jessica took the stapler and clicked it a few times in Bella's face and laughed. "Looks like Cullen's shiny toy got dull real fast."

"Um, right. And I think you mean congratulations, not goodbye," Bella snapped. She was too pissed off to care anymore; Jessica wasn't going to ruin her big promotion or her day for that matter.

"Congrats? What for, whore? Nailing the boss?" she laughed.

"No! God, you're an idiot. Carlisle just promoted me to Senior Project Designer. Now if you'll excuse me," she grabbed the stapler from her hand, "I'm going to be relocating to the twenty third floor and I might need to staple something."

Jessica stood there dumbly; her mouth hung wide-open and catching flies. Bella picked up the smaller box of things and started to leave.

"What? Well— you probably just got promoted for screwing Edward," she called after her, her voice bitter and dripping with jealousy. Bella slowly turned to face Jessica.

"You know what, Jessica, screw you and your little dog too," she said and walked away with her head held high, and feeling a lot better.

****

Rosalie was bored out of her mind. Having the day off didn't always have its advantages. She put the top back on the blood red nail polish and examined her perfect feet. It was the third time she had painted them this morning, but she finally got it right. Sighing, she grabbed the remote and changed it from a Lifetime Original Classic to NASCAR. _Much better. _Rose got excited over the thought of something big and powerful under a guy's hood and fell back onto the couch with another sigh. She entertained herself with thoughts of what lay beneath Emmett's "hood". She knew what Roy had… and it was adequate. It got her from point A to point B, from start to finish.

Completely consumed in her thoughts, Rose was startled when the doorbell rang loudly and fell of the couch. Picking herself up off the floor she ran quickly to answer it. Wrenching it open, she found no one there. It was when she heard a tiny squeak that she looked down to find a puddle of white fur at her feet.

"What the…?" Rosalie was confused at the basket of purr and fur before her. Four small white kitties with bright blue eyes looked up playfully at her. She picked up the card that lay beside it, as well as one of the kittens that was trying to make a run for it.

"Just where do you think you're going?" she said sweetly to the small cat. Not wanting to leave the poor things out in the cold, Rose pulled the basket inside the apartment and shut the door. "And just where exactly did you come from?"

She put the cat on her shoulder and opened the card marked with her name.

_Rose-_

_A little birdie told me you had the day off, and I thought you might want something soft and warm to keep you company. But since I can't be there, I'm loaning you a few of my friends. – Emmett_

The small cat bit at her neck playfully. "Ow! Bad kitty!" She swatted at it.

_P.S. one of them bites. _

"Hmm, I see. I'm setting you down with your friends," she told the cat and sat down on the floor beside the basket.

"So… this was unexpected. What am I supposed to do with you guys?" Rose asked them, almost as if she expected an answer. The basket of fur stared back at her with curious eyes.

"Well, I guess first things first. Pick your poison, water or milk?" she asked the kittens again. One of them tumbled out of the basket to the floor letting out a tiny mew.

"I'll go see what we have… don't go anywhere," she said, running down to the kitchen. Rosalie poked around the fridge for milk and only found Bella's almond milk. _Hmm, do cat's like almonds? Better make it water. _She grabbed a beer for herself and filled a shallow dish with tap water.

"Happy hour has officially begun!" she announced to her new friends and set the plate of water before them. Picking them up out of the wicker basket, she set them around the dish and the kittens began to lap at the water.

"Cheers!" She raised her bottle and took a sip. The small cats soon became satiated and began to swat at one another. Sitting down cross-legged on the floor beside them, she flipped her bottle cap down in front of the cubby one and watched him scoot it across the floor with his paw. Not usually thinking of herself as a cat person, Rosalie was enjoying playing with the little ones.

Feeling pretty relaxed, Rose lay down on her back against the hard wooden floor and picked up one of the kittens, setting it on top of her stomach. She watched as the other three played amongst themselves and stroked the soft white fur until the tiny kitten fell asleep against her chest. She smiled as the tuckered out kitten moved with the rise and fall of her belly. Feeling tired herself, Rosalie decided to close her eyes for just a few moments…

****

Bella proudly pressed the silver button of the twenty-third floor in the elevator car.

_I'm moving on up… dah dah dah. _She sang the beginning of The Jefferson's theme song in her head. As excited as she was about her promotion, she was more excited about being on the next floor. The office environment was much more serene up here, definitely not as noisy or distracting as downstairs. Bella glanced around the open room to find her stuff; Emmett hadn't told her where she was sitting. Wandering around, she finally found her things a top an empty desk and set the other box down beside it. Bella smiled proudly to herself as she ran her hand over the smooth surface of the laminate top.

_My new home. _It wasn't much, but the eight by eight workstation was the best sixty-four square feet she'd ever had. She began to unpack her things again and took a look around the office. Her desk was on the perimeter of the workstation bull pen, a walkway separating them from all the private offices. She was fairly close to Emmett, whose office she knew was a few doors down. It would be helpful to be working nearby him; they'd spent a lot of time talking over the phone when they were both in the office, or Bella was always lugging her drawings up to his office. She was glad not to have to do that anymore. Bella tried to make out the names of the other employees posted on the signage in front of the private offices. Most of them she didn't know, probably accounting or HR she figured. Her eyes followed the doors until she reached the two offices adjacent her desk, Mike Newton and Edward Cullen.

_This should be interesting. _She thought to herself and sat down to start working.

****

Alice could hardly wait to come home from work that day. Emmett had called Jasper earlier about his little surprise for Rosalie and she was excited to see the look on her face. She knew Rose didn't put out much of an animal lover vibe. Well actually, Rose tried to put out an overall non-maternal vibe to everyone, but Alice knew that someday she would make a wonderful mother. Perhaps the kittens would be good practice for a day. She realized that Emmett probably wasn't thinking about that when he decided to loan out his friend's kittens for the day, but it still probably didn't hurt to have her practice. Alice desperately wanted Rose to settle down and could not be more excited at the prospect of her and Emmett dating. They could go on so many fun double dates, and if Bella started dating Jake… she lost herself in a fantasy of opportunities and swung the door open.

She was greeted by an empty wicker basket and Rosalie passed out on the hardwood floor, a tiny white cat curled up on her stomach. Alice smiled at the scene, and silently whipped out her cell phone. Snapping a photo of Rosalie and the kitten she sent the picture text off to Emmett and Jasper. Kneeling down beside Rose, she gently pushed back a strand of hair and spoke softly.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey," she teased in her ear. Rose groaned and opened her eyes, confused at her current position on the floor.

"Oh, wow. What time is it? I must have dozed off…" she croaked out. Holding the sleeping cat in her arms, she got to her feet and cracked her back.

"How did you fall asleep in the middle of the floor? That looked really uncomfortable," said Alice.

"I have no idea… hey where are the other kittens?" she asked looking at the empty basket.

"Don't ask me! You were supposed to be watching them! They have to be around here somewhere. Come on, I'll help you look. Jasper is supposed to come by later to pick them back up anyhow," she told Rose and they took off to search the apartment for the other three kittens.

As Alice was checking under the coach, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and flipped it open to find a text response from Emmett.

_I would kill to be that kitten snuggled up with her, I'm so jealous. _Alice smiled at his cute reply and typed back.

_Patience E. It will happen in due time. Don't worry, Jasper and I are here to help. _

Alice sent the text to Emmett and spotted one of the mischief-makers behind the television chewing on an electrical cord.

"No! You naughty little kitty!" She snatched it up in one hand and set it back in the basket with its sibling. Two down, two to go.

"I found one!" Alice called to Rosalie who was investigating the kitchen. She picked up the basket with the little passengers and joined her in the search.

"Any luck?" she asked Rose.

"No! Where are they?" she groaned crawling on all fours.

"Here, let me help you." Alice set down the basket and got down to help her search. They checked under the table, in the cabinets, behind the fridge. It was at this time that Bella finally came home from work and spotted her two roommates crawling around their apartment. They had been too occupied in their hunt to notice her watching in the entrance of the room.

"I'd really like to know what it is you both are doing, but I've been having too much fun watching you to ask," she finally spoke up. Rose stopped mid-crawl and yanked her head up to see Bella smirking down at her. She sat up onto her knees and let out a sigh.

"Emmett gave me kittens and I lost two of them when I fell asleep," she groaned.

"Help us look!" Alice said from the other side of the room.

"We have kitties in our house?" Bella got excited. "Where?"

"Duh, we don't know where! Well, two of them are in that basket other there," Rose said pointing at the object. "Hey you! Where do you think you're going!?" she said grabbing one of the cats that was trying to make a run for it, and putting it back.

"Well, has anyone looked up stairs?" she asked them.

"No, why would we? Kittens couldn't get up those stairs, they are too small," said Rose smartly.

"Uhhh... wanna bet?" asked Bella as she walked toward the staircase and ran up to the second floor. She looked down the hall; her door was closed, no chance they'd be in there. So she pushed open the door to Rose's room and started looking around. She checked under the bed, in the bathroom, and anywhere else she could think of. As she was turning to leave, she noticed Rose's closet door was slightly ajar and slowly pulled it open. At first glance she didn't see anything, and she pushed aside the hangers of clothes to look further in. It was then that she spotted two tiny bits of white fur curled up together in Rose's dirty laundry basket.

"Well, well, well… you guys have been totally busted," she said, picking up the small cats, one in either hand. They stretched and wiggled in protest for being disturbed during their naptime. Placing the tired kittens on her shoulders, Bella returned downstairs to join Alice and Rose. She sat down on the couch and put the kittens on her lap.

"I found them!" she called to them.

"Thank God!" Rose shouted back. They joined her back in the living room. With one arm Rose carried the basket on her hip, the two kittens bouncing around with each step.

"Where did you find them?" she asked taking a seat next to Bella.

"Upstairs, in your dirty laundry." She smiled at her.

"Yuck, why would they want to go there?" Alice teased picking up one of the cats and sitting in an armchair. Rose reached over and grabbed the chubby little kitten that was now by himself.

"So, when is Jasper coming by to get these little fellas?" Rose asked.

"Pretty soon," she confirmed looking at her watch. "You know…Emmett will be with him. You could say hi." Rose snorted and rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to bend that easy.

"Or I could not," she snapped back.

"Rose, why are you being so stubborn? Emmett is a great guy, and he obviously likes you a lot," Alice said.

"Yeah, but he turned me down first, remember that?" _And he needs to suffer a little longer for what he did_.

"Yeah, but Rose-"

"Just stay the fuck out of this! Don't go meddling in my life," Rose snapped at Alice. Alice held up the small white cat she was holding as a shield from Rose, and slowly lowered it.

"Okay, okay…" she agreed. The girls sat quietly in the room together, each petting their respective cats.

"Did you name them?" Bella asked, trying to ease the tension. She hated being in the middle of Rose and Alice's fights.

"No, except this little fatty reminds me of jabba-the-hut," she laughed, sitting the cat on its butt so that its potbelly stuck out. The kitten looked around the room with wide blue eyes. The girls laughed as Rose made the kitten's paws dance up and down.

"Oh, time out," Rose called, digging into her pocket to pull out her vibrating phone. She looked curiously at the phone and then at Alice.

"Did you give Emmett my phone or anything?" she asked

"No, I don't think so… why?"

"I don't recognize this number," said Rose.

"What's the area code?"

"847"

"Nope, he's 312," Bella confirmed. Rose shrugged her shoulder and answered the phone. She mouthed at Bella to watch Jabba as she got up to take the call in the other room.

"Hello… yes, this is Rosalie Hale." The girls listened to the one-sided conversation until Rose wandered too far off for them to hear anything more.

"Did you give Emmett her number?" Bella asked Alice.

"I didn't… I have no idea what Jasper may or may have not done." She winked.

"FUCK YES!" They heard Rose shout from the other room. They heard her come stomping towards them looking every excited.

"Who was that?" Bella asked.

"I got a fucking call back! A fucking call back!" The girls smiled proudly at her.

"I knew you would, Rose," said Bella.

"Wow! That's great! How does the job pay?" Alice asked.

"In your terms, like fifteen pairs of Jimmy Choo's," she said excited and breathless.

"Holy fucking Jimmy Choo's Batman! Wow! When's your call back?" she asked.

"Tomorrow! You hear that Jabba?" she asked scooping up the kitten, spun around with it and planted a big kiss on its face, leaving the red outlines of her lipstick. The cat desperately tried licking the evidence away. The doorbell rang, interrupting Rose's victory dance, and Alice bounced up to answer it.

"That'll be Jasper," she said, before swinging the door open.

"Hey, Alice, ladies." He acknowledged them by politely tipping his head and stepping into the house a few feet. "I'm here on official cat detail."

"I got the basket over here, let me go grab it," Alice said before running off into the other room. The front door was still wide open and Jasper walked over to Rose who was spending a few last moments with the chubby cat she'd grown found of.

"You know, Emmett's just waiting down the steps outside, I can invite him in if you would like," he asked her politely. Rose shook her head and Jasper sadly nodded.

"Here you go!" Alice brought the basket with the other three cats to Jasper.

"Okay, Rose, I've got to bring him home," Jasper told her. Rose sighed and gave the cat one last kiss leaving more traces of lipstick on his white face.

"See you later, Jabba," she told him, placing the kitten gingerly in the basket.

"Thanks, guys, see you all later," Jasper nodded and walked down the front steps to Emmett, who had been waiting patiently.

"Hey buddy, I got them," Jasper told him. Emmett took the basket from his arms and buckled it into the backseat of his jeep.

"Did she like them?" he asked Jasper.

"Yeah, Rose especially liked the fat one," he replied.

"Oh yeah? Hey! Why's his face all red?" Emmett asked, picking up the cat and showing it to Jasper.

"Oh, Rose might've been kissing him," he laughed.

"What? That's not fair! First this guy's caught sleeping with her, and now he's getting more action than me," he grumbled.

"Just wait, buddy, just wait until this weekend." Jasper winked knowingly at Emmett.

****

I promised fluff.. and did I not deliver four fluffy kittens??? and if anyone saw the Jabba-kitty teaser on Edwardville.. well now you understand. haha. Yes, no Edward this time.. we'll find out next chap what he's been up to... oh and Jacob Black amp's up the competition. :)

Bella got promoted (next to Edward *wink-wink*) and Rose got a call back! hooray!... now can i please get nice reviews? Really? sweet thanks! xoxo

****


	9. Chapter 9

An: Thanks to qjmom for being my beta! Hooray!

I consumed much coffee for this chapter. Black of course. :)

Okay... So I'm a bit nervous about this chapter, only because I had so many comments about last round about what was to come *cough Jacob cough*. So go easy on me! :D Enjoy.

****

Edward stormed out of the elevator like the room was on fire, leaving Bella behind. Had it not been for the alarm he surly would've taken her right there in the elevator.

_What the fuck was I thinking?_

Stomping down the hall to his office, Edward slammed the door shut behind him. Pacing back and forth in his office, he angrily pulled at his hair and let out load groan.

"Fuck!"

Edward really wanted to hit something, hard. Seething he grabbed one of the throw pillows off the coach and pulled hard at the seams. He felt himself coming undone for this girl he barely even knew. Tugging harder at the fabric, he pulled until the pillow burst. Hundreds of feathers filled the air, and Edward felt his release. He panted, trying to regain his breath as he watched the tiny white feathers danced slowly to the floor. Closing his eyes, he let out a long sigh, and felt a bit better.

The phone on his desk rang and he tore himself away from the scene to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Edward, how are you darling?" a smooth voice asked.

"Oh hi, I'm doing…okay. How are you? How are things?" he responded politely.

"I'm doing well. Lonely without you, but managing."

Edward walked around his desk and sat in his chair, getting a bit more comfortable.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure you're holding down the fort just fine," he said.

"Well, of course _I _am darling," the woman laughed lightly. "However, there is a small situation, and unfortunately I think I need you to come fix it," she continued. Edward groaned, guessing as to what he thought it may be.

"James?" he asked, rubbing at his temple.

"How'd you guess?" she asked.

"I just had feeling," he told her.

"He's always fucking things up. Can you come then?"

"Sure, I'll book the next flight and be there as soon as I can," he said.

"Thank you, Edward. You're a doll."

"No problem, I'll see you soon Victoria," he said ending the call. Edward slammed down the phone. Feeling more torn up than the pillow that lay in a pile of fabric and feathers, he had no idea, what to do about the Bella situation. But at least he wouldn't have to think about it just yet. Grabbing the phone off the receiver yet again, Edward punched in an extension he knew all too well.

"Carlisle," he spoke.

"Yes, Edward?"

"I've got to fly out to Seattle immediately. There's a situation that needs my handling personally," Edward told him.

"Okay, sounds good. See you in a few days then. Got to run, Bella's here," he finished and hung up the phone.

_Bella? _Edward was confused, as to why she would be meeting with Carlisle, then it dawned on him.

_Fuck! She's telling him about the elevator._

He didn't want or have time to deal with this right now. Peeking through the frosted glass, he could make out the shapes of Bella and Emmett, before they disappeared into Carlisle's office. Seizing the opportunity, Edward snatched up his cell phone and threw his messenger bag over his shoulder. Brushing off the remaining feathers from his shirt, he glanced briefly at the mess he had made. The office clean up crew would not be happy about that.

Turning the handle slowly, Edward peaked out to make sure the coast was clear. Emmett and Bella were still in Carlisle's office. Looking left then right, he kept his head down and strode towards the elevator. Not wanting to be stopped along the way, Edward pulled out his blackberry and pretended to be emailing so no one would bother him. Upon entering the elevator, he let out a long sigh that he had been holding since leaving the confines of this office.

He firmly pushed the silver button for the ground floor and called the airline to get the first flight out of Chicago.

*****

The rest of the week seemed to fly for Bella. She hadn't seen Edward since the elevator incident, but heard that through the rumor mill that he had gone to Seattle. Not that she minded avoiding the potentially awkward confrontation.

But the crazy week had come and gone already, and she couldn't believe that it was now Saturday. Saturday, the day she agreed to a blind date. Bella groaned at the thought and raked her hands threw her soft wavy hair. Her make up was done, and all she needed to do was get dress. She crossed her room to the closet and took out the midnight blue dress. Fingering at the fabric, a flood of memories from the last time she wore it came rushing back. Edward's body pressed up against her as they had swayed on the dance floor. Shaking her head to remove all thoughts of Edward, she slipped the dress over her undergarments. Eyeing herself one last time in the mirror, she grabbed her clutch and headed out of the apartment.

Even though it was an unusually nice September evening, The Twisted Spoke was too far of a walk in heels. Bella hailed the nearest cab, and tried to calm her nerves as she stared out the backseat window. Alice had told her what to look for, a tall, dark skinned, dark haired man, probably wearing a leather jacket. Bella could only hope this date would go well.

The car slowed as the reached her destination. Bella paid the fare and stepped onto the pavement. She took in one deep breath of courage and entered the bar. Glancing around the room, she noticed it was fairly empty. _Maybe he's not here yet. _Bella walked towards the bar, still trying to discreetly scan the room. She noticed a man at the far end chatting with the bar tender. He caught her eye and smiled, and broke away from the conversation. When he stood, Bella wrenched her neck to look up at the beast of a man standing before her. Standing well over six feet tall, with broad wide muscular shoulders that led to a narrow waist, he had on a black leather motorcycle jacket over a white button-down and slightly ripped up jeans that were sized perfectly to emphasize quads.

"You must be Bella, beautiful Bella," the beast spoke holding out his hand.

"Yes, and that makes you the Beas- er, Jacob," she grasped his large mitt for a shake, engulfing her own.

"Sit down, let's have a drink," he smiled widely at her and gestured for her to have a seat.

"So, how do you know Alice and Jasper? I really haven't heard them talk much about you?" Bella asked.

Jacob chuckled and replied, "A co-worker of mine was in a bit of a jam, and Alice helped him out. Since his license got suspended, I would often have to pick him up. The first time I went by the office, I was wandering around like a lost puppy, and that's when I met Jasper. He'd been waiting for Alice, and we got to talking while we both waited. After that, I'd bump into him from time to time, and the rest is history." He smiled completing his story.

"Oh, that makes sense. Alice doesn't talk too much about her cases or clients to us. Well, obviously she can't really," said Bella, and watched as the bartender came back towards their end of the bar.

"Jacob, buddy! What can I get and your lovely lady tonight?" he asked all smiles. Bella blushed and glanced over to the beers on tap.

"I'll have a Blue Moon," she replied. She wouldn't be caught dead ordering a "girlie" drink in a biker bar.

"Make that two."

"Two Blue Moons coming right up!" he slapped the bar before walking away. The pair sat in silence for a moment. Bella noticed that around the bar people seemed to be looking at the two of them and pointing. She scoffed at their narrow-mindedness and looked away.

"Here you go! This rounds on me." The bartender laid out two napkins and placed the frothy beverages severed in Pilsner glasses and garnished with an orange slice on top of them. Bella picked up her drink and took a small sip, the head leaving a foamy mustache. Before she could wipe it away with her napkin, Jacob had lightly grasped her face, turning it towards him.

"You've got a little something…" he trailed off as he wiped the foam away with his thumb, grazing her upper lip in the process. Bella stared into his dark eyes as he held her face. She could taste him, and his flavor mixed with the natural spices of the brew was a heavy combination.

"Thanks," she whispered and looked down before turning back to the bar. Jacob swiveled on his stool and arched over the bar, drawing a long sip from his glass. Bella noticed a few guys at the other end of the bar gesturing in their direction. _What's their problem?_ She glanced down at herself just to make sure everything was in place.

"There are a few guys over there pointing at us," she whispered to Jacob. He popped his head up and glanced their way.

"Oh, just ignore them," he chuckled to himself. Bella peered over at the pair and watched as one of them finally started to move towards them. _Oh great… can't I have a normal date without drama? _Bella prepared herself for the worst as he approached.

"Hey, uhh.. I hate to bother you, but can I have an autograph?" he asked sheepishly. Bella looked at him with befuddled look. _What? _

"Sure, no problem," Jacob responded and scribbled his name down on one of the bar napkins and handed it to the guy.

"Sweet! Thanks Jacob! Great job last week!" The guy smiled and ran off to show his friend waiting at the bar. Confused by this exchange Bella looked over at Jacob, who appeared to be blushing a little through his dark complexion.

"What was that all about? And why did he want your autograph?" she asked him. Jacob shifted around in his seat awkwardly before speaking.

"Um… what exactly did Alice and Jasper tell you about me?"

"Not much apparently. Are you famous?"

"I wouldn't say that. I do get recognized from time to time, I suppose," he replied and took another swig of his drink.

"Okay then. I can live with that." Jacob nodded in reply. "So, what do you do for a living then, Jacob?" Bella continued trying to change the subject. Jacob chuckled and shook his head.

"I work for the Chicago Blackhawks. You know, hockey? I'm their mascot," he joked.

"Oh, really? Well I hear they get paid well…" she trailed off.

"I'm just teasing you, Bella. Bad joke at my own expense."

"Oh, so are you like a manager, or... something? I'm not really into sports, sorry."

"I figured as much. I actually play a little," he skirted around the answer. The bartender who had been wiping down the bar with a cloth chuckled at Jacob's response. Bella shot a look over to him.

"What's so funny?" she asked the bartender, who had been rudely listening to their conversation. Jacob shot the guy a dirty look and shook his head, for him to stay quiet.

"I'm sorry Jacob, but that was the understatement of the century. Bella was it? Jacob more than plays a little, he's the best on the team, and ranked as one of the top players in the NHL." Jacob groaned as the guy's flattering remarks. "What? It's true, and she has a right to know." He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Thanks Seth," Jacob seethed. Bella glanced back over to Jacob who had emptied his drink.

"Thanks for the scoop and now you can get us another round of drinks," she told the bartender and winked at him.

"Sorry about that," Jacob apologized to her.

"No worries. I feel kind of bad that I didn't even know who you were," Bella told him. Jacob shifted on his stool, the denim he wore strained against the muscles in his thighs.

"To be honest, it was a bit refreshing. One of the reasons I agreed to potentially be set up with you, was that well, I knew Alice and Jasper, and the fact that they told me you knew nothing about hockey. So, I knew I wouldn't be set up with some crazy fan girl," he chuckled. Bella cocked her eyebrow and nodded to agree.

"Yeah, I could see that… and you're right about the hockey. I'm sorry, but I know nothing about that sport. I haven't even been ice skating before," she admitted.

"What? Never? How is that possible? You live in Chicago." He gave her a look of pure shock.

"Well, ice doesn't really help the uncoordinated, so I just always avoided it at all cost." Bella blushed.

"Ha ha, I'm thinking I'll just have to teach you on our next date," he teased.

"Oh really? You're so such there's a going to be a second date already are you?" she joked.

"Why not? I'm a cute guy," he laughed. Bella rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Don't go counting your chickens yet, Mr. Black," she teased him back.

"Besides, isn't it true what the say, opposites attract?" he said, Bella noticed how his voice had dropped a little lower and that his eyes were staring at her mouth. She felt her body rush with body at his gaze.

"Um… maybe," Bella trailed off, and looked away. Bella did her best to change the subject to easy things, the usual "get to know you" questions. She learned that Jacob had been living in the Chicago the last three years after getting traded from Vancouver. That he had grown up on a reservation outside of Seattle, and learned how to skate there. His big break had been when he tried out for a traveling team in high school.

"Hey, we better be scooting if we want to make the show. Have you been to IO before?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she replied. Jacob put down a few large bills to more than cover the drinks and tip. He stood to his feet and grabbing her hand, helped Bella down off the stool.

"It's hilarious. I hope you like to laugh," he said, still holding her hand. "It's not that far, so I guess we could walk if you don't want a ride." He grabbed a helmet that had been hidden on the floor next to his stool, and held it out to Bella.

"Ride?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, um… I have a bike. It was a pretty nice night, and parking is way easier in the city. I didn't really know you'd wear a dress…" Bella timidly reached out for the black helmet and took it.

"I guess we can take the bike." _I'm glad I wore underwear._

"Great, let's go!" he threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her body against his as they exited the bar. Jacob and Seth exchanged a goodbye before leaving.

The evening had cooled a bit as they stepped outside. Bella was silently thankful for the giant space heater standing next to her. Jacob's body radiated heat, and she felt herself unconsciously tucking closer to him under his arm for warmth. The rumble of the L train grew into a roar as the redline sped by overhead. Jacob led her to a bike parked next to the steel beam supporting the tracks. The bike had a classic look to it, but Bella didn't really know much about bikes in general. Jacob swung one leg over and situated himself on the bike, helping Bella jump on behind him. Bella tried to modestly cover herself the best she could and put on the helmet. Not having been on a bike before, Bella held onto Jacob with a death grip for fear of falling off.

"Easy, Bella. No need to give me the Heimlich Maneuver," Jacob coughed at her actions. We're just going up the street and I'll take good care of you."

"Oh sorry," Bella apologized and loosened her grip a little. Jacob started up the bike, and cocked his head back.

"Keep your feet up and hold on," he told her before speeding off down the road.

As Jacob promised, it was a short trip to the theatre. They got lucky and found a parking spot right on Clark street. Jacob helped Bella off the bike and led them to the show. The theatre was a small intimate cabaret styled set up. They got a two seat table towards the back. Being so tall, Jacob didn't want to block anyone's view. They ordered a few rounds of drinks and enjoyed the performance troupe's sketches.

Bella had a great time at the theatre with Jacob. When the sketch group had asked for a suggestion, Jacob had shouted out, "first dates!" louder than anyone else. Bella was at first taken aback and embarrassed, but then laughed her ass off, when the group performed a sketch portraying very awkward and hilarious first dates. By the time the show was over, Bella's body ached from laughing and tears were streaming down her face. She grinned ear to ear at Jacob, who also was trying to hold back tears of laughter. They exited the theatre and walked towards Jacob's bike.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked.

"Oh my God, I've never laughed so hard in my life. I think I'm actually going to be sore from that," Bella chuckled, and then whimpered when her body hurt from laughing.

"I'm glad you liked it," Jacob said as he helped her back on the bike. Bella secured her helmet before they took off towards her apartment. The ride was a bit longer this time, and Bella enjoyed watching the city pass her by, as they weaved through the street. Being only in a dress, it was a bit chilly. Hugging herself closer to Jacob as he drove, Bella felt like she was hugging a tree. His torso was broad, wide and hard with muscle. The wind blew his scent all around her. He smelled like trees and spice, it was an intoxicating combination.

They arrived several minutes later in front of Bella's apartment. Jacob helped her down and escorted her to the front door. They stood facing each other on the top step, Bella paused for a moment before going inside.

"Well, I had a really great time tonight, Bella. I'm glad Alice set us up," Jacob told her.

"Me too. It was really fun," she told him.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like permission to ask you out on another date," he asked her.

"Oh, sure. I think that would be fun," Bella agreed. She had genuinely enjoyed her time with Jacob. He seemed like an okay guy. Jacob lit up like a Christmas tree at her response.

"Great. I'll call you this week. Good night, Bella," he said, right before leaning in and placing a firm kiss on her lips. Bella was stunned. She watched him jog down the steps and smiled at her before taking off on his bike. She hadn't expected Jacob to kiss her, just like that. She held her fingers to her lips, still feeling the warm burn he left.

"Goodnight," she managed to whisper after he was long gone.

****

"Edward darling, are you quite sure you can't stay longer? We have the rest of the weekend ahead of us," the cool voice purred, as they ran a hand up and down his bare spine. Edward swung his feet over the edge of the bed at stood up, pulling his pants up with him.

"Yes, I'm quite sure," he said firmly, zipping his pants at that same moment. Wearing only his dress pant slung low on his hip, he turned to address the women.

"I must be on my way, Victoria. I have to pack before my flight leaves."

"Oh, but you could leave tomorrow instead." She sat up to join him and rubbed his chest as he tried to button up his shirt. He urgently worked them, trying to ignore her distractions.

"I'm afraid not. Sorry V." He kissed the top of her forehead after he finished dressing and left the woman clad only in a bed sheet.

Once out of her sight, Edward ran from the apartment like the building was on fire. He had come to rectify the James situation, and he'd had to let him go. However, instead he let himself fall into the easy trap Victoria had laid out for him. Disgusted with himself, he needed a shower, now. He needed to be cleansed from this transgression. _What was I thinking?_ Bella, was all he could think of now. He had wanted Bella, but instead Victoria was there for him. He groaned and mentally kicked himself. He needed to get back to Chicago.

***

Yeah, Edward's a bit of a duche right now, but i promise this is still and ExB story! okay. show me some love! review!!!! xoxoxO!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Thank you so much to qjmom and rachelcullen77 for being my beta's.

Sorry this is so late. My Mac died this week.. and I.. lost...everything. it was so sad, and too pissed to write for a day. lol. SO new comp and new chap are here! hooray!

*****

"I can't believe you went on a date with Jacob fucking Black," Rosie huffed as she pounded across the pavement. "Jacob Black, of the Blackhawks. I still cannot believe that I didn't put two and two together when Alice told us who he was. " She shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't know. He's just a guy. I wouldn't have had any idea either way." Bella shrugged her shoulders, and quickened her pace to keep up with Rose.

"You have to get us tickets to the games once the season starts," Rose commanded.

"Um, it's only been one date, we'll see about that."

"Yeah, and he already asked you out for a second date, work it girl!" Rose laughed as she swayed her hips side to side as she walked.

"Ha, yeah… Hey, when does hockey season even start?"

"Towards the end of September, so pretty soon."

"Huh." Bella jogged a little to catch up to Rose, whose enthusiasm had her speed walking at a record pace.

"These seats better be amazing," Rose said, as she glanced down to check the gate and section number. They approached the Doric columns framing the entrance to the stadium. Rose glanced up and grinned widely. Bella swore she saw them glistening with tears.

"Come on, let's get moving." Rose grabbed her arm and led them through the ticket entrance and followed the direction of the ushers until they were led to their section.

"Section 138, this better be good Emmett," she muttered under her breath. The girls stepped out into the center of the stadium, and they both gasped at the sight. It was a perfect day for a game, and Rose, who was highly religious and superstitious on game days, was having a good feeling about this particular day. She had on her game day outfit, a long sleeved white tee shirt underneath a small, child sized jersey that stopped at her mid section, paired with jeans. Rose had made sure that Bella was decked out in Bears apparel as well. She ended up having to borrow a sweatshirt from Jasper that was a bit large and baggy on her small frame, and had thrown on an old baseball hat over her long brown hair.

As the girls walked down the steps towards their row, Rose's breathing was becoming heavier with every step.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" she exclaimed as they found their seats just a couple of rows back from the home side fifty yard line.

"Wow, these are really good seats," said Bella as she shimmied past other spectators to their seats. Bella stopped when she found the chair with a matching number. Rose stopped two seats behind her.

"Wait, what seat number do you have?" Bella asked Rose.

"116, you?"

"118, so someone is going to be in seat 117?" she looked at Rose curiously.

"No fucking way, that seat is for our beer and snacks." Bella wasn't convinced and started to glance around the stadium looking for a familiar face with dimples.

"Hmm…speaking of which, I think I'm going to go get some us some beer. You want anything, Miss Bud light?" she teased Rose, who had nailed her call back on Friday. She was going to be flying out in a few days to shoot the commercial in New York.

"Just beer is fine for now. I'm too nervous to eat," she said, concentrating all her thoughts on a positive outcome for the game.

"Okay then," Bella chuckled as she jogged up the steps, leaving Rose to her prayers and mediations.

*****

"Dude, dude! There they are." Emmett waved widely for Edward to come join him.

"You know how creepy you are with those binoculars, right?" Edward rolled his eyes, and stood next to Emmett, who had just spotted Rosalie and Bella entering the park.

"Whatever, man. You're just jealous. Oh fuck, Rose looks so fucking hot," Emmett held the binoculars tightly too his face to get a better look. He handed them to Edward, who chuckled when he noticed that they had left two circular impressions around each eye

"Take a look," he said. Edward pretended not to be interested but, he knew better. He spotted Rose immediately, her beauty always made her stand out. However, that wasn't what Edward was interested in right now. Next to her stood a short brunette that Edward immediately recognized as Bella, her face covered with a hat. He longed to see those deep brown eyes; it had been days and he was starving.

"Come on, look up," he muttered under his breath.

"What's that now?" Emmett asked him.

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Here you go, I'll let you get back to your peeping." He thrust the binoculars at his stomach and stomped off to the back of the box.

"Thanks!" Emmett was too distracted to notice Edward's pissy mood and he stared longingly at Rose.

Cullen Designs had a box at Soldier Field that they typically used for entertaining clients. Carlisle had agreed to let Emmett use the box this time for his own personal reason. There was a knock at the door and Edward went to answer it.

"Hello Mr. Cullen. Welcome to Soldier Field, can I get you anything today?" a small tiny waitress asked.

"Oh, sure. Send over some beers, wings, and nachos." Edward cranked his neck and shouted to Emmett, "Anything else you want to add?"

"Hot dogs! And more beer!" he answered back, still keeping his eye on the "game."

"You got that?" He smirked at the waitress.

"Yes, I'll be back soon. Thank you," she replied and managed to walk away. Just as Edward was about to close the door to the suite, he heard his name.

"Edward!"

He poked his head out into the hall and spotted a short brunette and a tall, lean blonde haired gentleman.

"Hey guys, come on in." He gestured for them to enter the suite.

"Easy E!" Jasper shouted when he saw Emmett.

"Hey guys, I'm so glad you could make it," Emmett smiled and greeted them both with bear hugs.

"No, thank you so much for inviting us! It was so hard not to tell the girls, especially this morning," Alice giggled and bounced up and down.

"I found them, do you want to see?" he asked Alice. She nodded vigorously and he led them over toward the front of the box, where there were two rows of seats. Jasper rolled his eyes and chuckled, exchanging a similar look with Edward who shrugged his shoulders.

"Want a beer?" he asked Jasper.

"Definitely."

*****

Bella swirled her plastic cup around in a few circles before downing the last bit of liquid. Not particularly caring about the game or sports in general, the only thing she enjoyed was the beer and she had just finished her fourth.

"Are you fucking serious?" Rose shouted along with thousands of other angry fans. Bella glanced up to Rose, who had been standing during the entire game.

"What happened?" she asked, pretending to be interesting as she stared into her now empty cup. _Should I get another round? _

"They fucking employ blind referees, I know it," she grumbled at another bad call; the Bears were up, but barely and it was the last few second before half time.

"Are you serious?" Bella glanced at the game clock and then her wrist. She eyed Rose's half empty cup of beer and snatched it up to take a sip.

"I saw that," a familiar voice whispered behind her and made Bella jump a little, spilling some beer. She whipped her head around and was greeted by a bright eyed man with a huge smile and dimples.

"Emmett! You've got to stop sneaking up on me like that!" She punched him in the bicep. He laughed at her attempt to hurt him. Rose turned away from the game to see what was going on, and narrowed her eyes at Emmett.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled pretending to rub his hurt arm. "I just wanted to check in and see that you guys were having a good time." Rose crossed her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow at Emmett.

"Oh we're doing great, thank you," she replied smoothly. Emmett rose to his feet to meet her eyes, and cracked a crooked smile that made his left dimple pop just a bit more and bore into her eyes. Rose shifted uncomfortably at his blatant stare, but kept eye contact.

"Good, I'm glad I could please you," he said smiling widely, putting extra emphasize on the word please. "I was also wondering if you would both like to join me to watch the rest of the game?"

"What do you mean, join you? Aren't you joining us?" Bella asked, still seated between them.

"Well…kind of. Me and some friends, who would love to see you guys, are up in one of the boxes," he sputtered out. Bella glanced eagerly back and forth looking up at both Emmett and Rosalie.

"There's plenty of food and beer," he continued.

"Hmmm…"

"Come on, Rose. Let's go!" A tipsy Bella tugged on her pant legs at the promise of more free beer. Rose glanced at the game clock, and sighed, the second quarter was just seconds away from ending.

"Fine, let's go!" She threw her hands up in the air in defeat. Bella smiled at Emmett before he turned to lead the way. Bella shook her head at the guts he had to show up like this. _Although, the odds may be in his favor, if the game ends well_, Bella thought. Rose had been known to be very…enthusiastic about the Bears winning. On the other hand, if they lost… Bella shuddered at the thought.

As they followed Emmett, the masses of people seemed to evaporate when they took a private elevator to another floor, a much nicer floor. They walked down the hall until they reached the appropriate suite. They were immediately bombarded upon entering.

"Rose, Bella!" Alice shrieked and hugged them both at the same time.

"You've been here the whole time?" Rose shouted at her. Alice giggled and shrugged her shoulders innocently. Rose groaned and stomped off to grab a beer. Emmett glanced over to Rose and subconsciously hovered towards her.

"Um, hi," Bella said awkwardly, interrupting their mini-feud.

"Bella, we were just talking about you," Alice said excitedly, pulling her towards the front of the box.

"You were? What about exactly?" she asked suspiciously.

"You're date with Jacob Black of course!" She linked her arm with Bella's and led her towards the two rows of seats, currently occupied by two spectators. Bella's stomach did a flip, when she saw a bronze haired god talking to her wavy blonde haired friend.

"Yes, we were just discussing this Mr. Black you're seeing," Edward said with the cool silver voice that made Bella forget her own name. Alice led her to sit beside her in the row in front of the boys.

"Oh, okay?" _Why_?

"I was just telling Edward how we met him, and then how I had decided you need to get out and date, and then—"

"Alice! Please?" Bella interjected. She did not want to be discussing any aspect of her dating life with Edward Cullen around. Alice pretended to pout.

"I need a drink," Bella stated and shot up to grab one. She made her way to the back of the room, where Rose and Emmett had gone missing. Helping herself at the wet bar, she cracked open a can, and poured it expertly into a cup.

"So, Jacob Black then?" Edward had walked up to her, his body closely behind hers, preventing her from moving. Bella stood in place, still facing the bar. She felt herself shiver at his breath, and a rush of memories came flooding back from the last time they stood together in this position.

"Yes, Jacob Black. What's it to you?" she replied and spun around, his hands still placed on either side of her on the bar.

"I'm just curious as to why you'd date someone so wrong for you," he whispered in her ear. Bella felt her knees give a little and tried to hold her ground.

"Oh, and I suppose you know someone better then?" she asked, her breath staggering at the close proximity of his lips to hers.

"Maybe…" he said, his lips lightly brushing against her ear. He reached behind her and grabbed a beer. Cracking it open, he smirked before taking a small step back from her and taking a sip. Bella let out a sigh and glared at him. He had been messing with her. She snatched up her beer and went to go sit back down by Alice.

"Hey, Alice, tell me more about Jacob Black…" Bella said loudly, glancing over to Edward. If he wanted to play that game, she would fucking play, and win.

"Oh well, his friend was a client…" Alice began to ramble on about Jacob, all his wonderful traits. Edward growled and paced around the room. He didn't want to hear that Bella was dating someone, anyone, especially not a professional athlete. He knew of Jacob Black alright, he was a fan, _was_…until today that is. He was an amazing player, and was huge even back in Seattle, where he had grown up.

Falling back onto the couch, Edward willed himself to watch the halftime show on the TV screen before him that happened to be performing live outside, just to his left. Halftime was almost over; he'd be able to manage the rest of the game, right? _Where are Emmett and Rose? _He wondered to himself, noticing for the first time that they were missing.

He decided he needed a walk, and exited the suite to walk around the hallway, when he bumped into Emmett and Rose.

"Edward! Where you going? Kick off, man!" Emmett stopped him and threw an arm over his shoulders, ushering him back towards the suite.

Right back where he came from, they joined the rest of the group back in the suite, just in time for the second half. Bella glanced over to Edward, and he caught her eye before looking away. He knew if he stared into those deep brown eyes long, crazy things would happen. He shuffled his way over to a seat behind Bella and sat down as the game began.

He found himself more consumed with watching her than the Bears beating the Packers. Even the way she ate her nachos' and then licked her upper lip to remove excess cheese was fascinating.

He also noticed the way she was pounding beers like a 200 pound man. He wondered how much she must've had at that point; he had witnessed at least three. Glancing over to the rest of the group, Edward decided to hop the row of seats and sat beside Bella.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi."

"Having fun?"

"Sure? I guess." She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the field.

"Are you a big fan of football?" he asked, trying to strike up a conversation, without getting one word answers.

"What's that?" she asked him, leaning to hear him over the eruption of cheers for another scored touchdown.

"Are you a fan of football?" he shouted into her ear.

"Sure," she replied nonchalantly and gulped down a few sips of her drink; liquid courage. She was a bit pissed about the he way left last week.

"You were gone," Bella said, turning to finally look at him. Edward raked his hand through his hair uncomfortably.

"Ugh, yeah. I had to go out of town for a few days for business," he muttered.

"Oh, did you take care of business then?"

"Um, yeah," Edward replied shortly. He let out a long sigh, and raked both hands through his hair. Being near Bella, next to Bella, in the same room as Bella, was proving to be difficult for him. She threw him off his game. Normally he didn't have any problem around women, he'd crack his famous smile and they'd swoon. This was different, much different, she made him feel all funny inside, and he bumbled around like an idiot around her. He bounced his leg up and down in his seat, trying to think of what to say next. _I bet fucking Jacob Black is a smooth talking son of bitch, _He thought. _How the fuck am I supposed to compete with that?_

"So, I was planning on doing that design charrette on Tuesday, does that work with your schedule?" Edward asked, hoping that work might be a topic she would talk to him with more than one word answers.

"Sur—"

"TOUCHDOWN! Da da da da dun dunnn!" Jasper, Rose and Emmett all shouted and begin to sing as they danced. High fives and victory hugs were passed out to all. Emmett took the moment to linger in his embrace with Rose for a bit longer than the rest. She tried to hide her blush as she backed away. The game was beginning to wind down, and everyone was feeling great as the lead for the Bears continued to grow.

Edward timidly sat back down in his seat beside Bella when the excitement wore down. He glanced sideways at her, and smiled. She was laughing and enjoying herself with her friends, her cheeks were rosy and red from drinking. He really wanted to cup her face in the palm of his hand and draw her close to him.

"Go! Go! Go!" Rose shouted as she jumped up and down. The Bears had intercepted and were running for another touchdown. When the player got knocked out of bounds with seconds left on the clock, Bella decided to grab one more beverage before the game was over. Everyone else was consumed in the game, eyes glued to the field, as they only had 15 yards before they scored again.

Bella shuffled her way towards the bar in the back of the box, and took out another can of beer from the fridge. As she sipped her drink, she watched her friends from distance. She noticed that Rose seemed to be acting, less…grumpy. Much happier than she had been in a long time, and she didn't think it was only because the Bears were going to be beat the Packers. Emmett had her laughing the entire time they had been together, they looked good together. She smiled as she watched her two best friends, coupled off with two great guys. Then there was Edward, who was slouching low in his chair. Bella's mouth turned down at the corners, she didn't know what was going on between them. His hot and cold mood swings, were confusing to say the least. She definitely didn't want things to become messy between them at work, perhaps Jacob was what she needed right now.

Bella sighed as she watched him rake his hands through his bronzed hair; he was so beautiful; it made her feel warm.

He must have felt her eyes on him, and turned around just then. His brooding eyes bore straight at her, into her soul. Edward smirked and got up, and crossed the room to join her. Unable to move as he strode towards her, Bella tried to keep her balance.

"Hey," he said standing directly in front of her. Bella blushed from being caught staring and look down at the ground. From this angle, Edward was frustrated that he couldn't see her eyes, those chocolate brown eyes.

"This hat needs to come off," he said removing it from her head, her brown hair spilling around her face. "There, that's better," he said in a soft and low voice. Bella looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Edward—"she started to protest and swayed a bit from the alcohol, but was interrupted as the game just ended, and the group erupted with cheers.

"Bears win!" Emmett shouted louder than the rest.

Once again Edward and pulled away from Bella. He sighed, feeling more defeated then victorious. He watched as his friends were cheering and laughing over the win.

Alice pulled Jasper along with her, and bounded over to join Edward and Bella. Alice tried to contain her joy, as she bounced up and down.

"Let's go out and celebrate," she suggested, hoping to allow Emmett more time with Rose. Bella shrugged her shoulders and agreed, even though she was already good and liquored up. Edward nodded compliantly, always hoping for a chance to be around Bella.

"Fuck yah! Let's go celebrate!" Rose gave Emmett a high five, her face beaming with joy. She had had a good feeling about today, a really good feeling.

****

Light was shining brightly into the room, too brightly. It felt, almost heavenly. Blinking widely to make out shapes and colors, Bella tried to familiarize herself with her surroundings. Her eyes hurt with the light; her head was pounding with every heart beat. The room looked different, a darker shade of blue. Too tired to move, Bella closed her eyes in protest over the light. Feeling a cold breeze of air, she shivered and grabbed at the shirts and realized she was naked. Figuring she must have come home from the bar last night and stripped down before passing out, like she usually did went she was shit faced. Bella tugged the sheet around her body as she curled into a fetal position. Her mind still spinning, Bella knew she needed to call in late to work.

_Why is it so fucking freezing in here? _She thought, and wiggled her bare feet around to warm them up. She rubbed them vigorously against the bed, until she accidently kicked something, hard.

Bella completely froze when she made contract. Cautiously she rolled over and turned her head to find someone else lying in her bed.

"What the fuck!?" Scared and startled, Bella sprang to her feet. Pulling the sheet with her, it unraveled around the other visitor to reveal his completely naked backside in all its glory.

"Fuck… what's with the shouting," he muttered into a pillow.

Bella wrapped herself with the sheet and panicked. She was trying to remember what had happened after the game, and why there was a beautifully sculpted bronze haired God lying naked in her bed right now. Reeling, she realized what had happened, and gulped loudly. _I fucking slept with Edward Cullen, she thought. _She was furious with herself and rushes of memories from the night before came flooding back.

Pissed at Edward and herself, she desperately wanted to kick him out of bed, but then again, staring at his perfect ass, she really wanted to jump back in bed with him.

Edward turned over slightly on his side, and looked up at Bella, who herself looked like a Greek goddess wrapped up in her sheet. She was fuming, breathing heavily at the sight before her. From this angle, Bella could see more of his lower stomach and observed the curve of his side down to his leg, a dark shadow covering…the rest. She bit her lip, willing him to roll over just a bit more…

"What are you doing over there, Bella?" Edward asked in a sleepy voice. "Please come back and bring the sheets. It's cold." He stretched out an arm for her to join him, and Bella couldn't resist. She edged her way closer to the bed, and knelt down.

Keeping herself covered she managed to unwrap the sheet and put part of it over Edward, now naked beneath the sheet with him. She heard him groan, and decided to roll over, and try to go to back to sleep.

Suddenly, Edward pulled her tightly against his body so that they were spooning. Bella gasped when his hot naked flesh was pressed up against her back. He wrapped his arm around her stomach, and nuzzled her hair.

"Mmm…my oompa loompa," he muttered into her ears. Bella let out a whimper as he pulled her even tighter. They lay silently for a few moments, before Bella had the courage to speak up.

"Don't we need to go to work?" she whispered quietly into the cold morning air.

"You work for me and Emmett, so no. Go back to sleep," he sighed. Bella felt herself oddly relaxed in his arms and feel asleep again quickly.

*****

soo.. did that actually happen? or was bella dreaming? hm... i dunno.

leave me some love. xoxo!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: thanks to my Beta's rachelcullen77 and qjmom!! xoxo! Check our their stories!

Okay so I know I left a major cliffy in my AN in the last chap. As promised all will be reveiled in this chap, some of you will be happy, others.. might not be. but hopefully that's not true.

p.s. i ate an entire box of rainbow nerds while writing this. :)

"_Let's go out and celebrate," she suggested, hoping to allow Emmett more time with Rose. Bella shrugged her shoulders and agreed, even though she was already good and liquored up. Edward nodded compliantly, always hoping for a chance to be around Bella. _

"_Fuck yah! Let's go celebrate!" Rose gave Emmett a high five, her face beaming with joy. She had had a good feeling about today, a really good feeling. _

****

Last night:

"Don't you remember you told me you loved me Baaaabby? You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby. Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh Baby! I looove you, I really do." Bella and Alice were loudly singing classic hits, currently the Carpenter's, into the microphone at Trader Todd's.

Bella took the mic off the stand to sing the next verse, swaying back and forth to the music. Her hair, now uncovered by the hat Edward had removed earlier, fell over her face. Glancing up to the audience, she spotted Edward standing next to Emmett and began to sing.

"Loneliness is such a sad affair. And I can hardly wait to be with you again." Bella looked up at him from beneath her dark lashes. He was leaning against the bar and smiling at her with his crooked smile. He watched her as she sang directly to him. It was a moment that went unnoticed to all others who watched her perform; they were just simple by-standers, oblivious to the chemistry that was bubbling under the surface.

"What to say to make you come again. Come back to me again, and play your sad guitar." She beckoned with her finger and winked before strutting back to Alice to finish the chorus. Edward had been teasing her all day, and it was time for revenge.

"Don't you remember you told me you loved me Baby?" Their cheeks pressed against one another as they sang. Bella and Alice finished the song and the bar erupted with cheers and laughter.

They walked off the stage and joined the rest of the gang. Jasper pulled Alice under his arm and gave her a big sloppy wet kiss.

"Good job, Bella." Rose smiled and laughed. Bella grabbed her Long Island Iced Tea and took a big sip, letting out a sigh. Edward smiled as he watched her pass by.

"Thanks. So who's next?" she asked, looking only at Edward when she spoke. Emmett hooted loudly and took a small step back.

"No way, not me! You'd all go deaf if I sang in public," he laughed. Rose rolled her eyes and smiled as she chewed on her straw.

"What about you, Edward?" Bella asked, full of liquid courage. Edward chuckled and raked his hands through his hair.

"Um… I don't know about that," he said sheepishly.

"Well, if you don't think you're _man _enough then, don't worry about it," Bella teased him lightly, bringing up the fact Edward thought himself more of a man than Jacob. She held the straw of her drink lightly between her lips, before wrapping them around it seductively and drawing a sip. Edward narrowed his eyes and walked off towards the stage without a word.

"Oh my God, he's going to fucking do it!" Emmett nudged her as Edward took the stage. He leaned over to the DJ and whispered something to him, before grabbing a stool and sitting down in front of the microphone.

"Okay everyone, why don't we give Edward a warm welcome!" the DJ spoke over the loud speakers in the bar. A few people turned and clapped for him, a bit intrigued. Edward adjusted the mic stand to his seated height and winked at Bella.

"This song goes out to a Beatles fan," he spoke softly into the mic and tapped his foot to the beat. Closing his eyes, he began to sing.

"Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover. Something in the way she woos me, I don't want to leave her now. I know I believe and how." Edward looked up at Bella and winked again. The lights of the bar were dark and colorful. Bella felt her stomach flip again for about the hundredth time that day as Edward's deep voice resounded throughout the room.

"Somewhere in her smile she knows, that I don't need no other lover. Something in her style that shows me. I don't wanna leave her now. I know I believe and how."

Bella gulped when the tempo picked up and he stood to his feet and firmly grabbed the mic stand with two hands. He bore his eyes straight into hers as he sang her the lyrics, "You're asking me will my love grow, I don't know, I don't know. You stick around now it may show. I don't know, I don't know."

Edward sat back down on the stool, and closed his eyes again, "Something in the way she knows. And all I have to do is think of her. Something in the things she shows me, I don't wanna leave her now. I know I believe and how." Bella clutched her chest, her heart pounding wildly as Edward finished the song. The bar erupted with cheers, and Edward stood to leave, keeping his gaze only on Bella. She watched him move towards her, and her knees gave out a little.

Emmett and Jasper patted him on the back and the girls praised him for his performance. Bella remained silent off to the side, unable to speak yet. When everyone else seemed otherwise occupied, Edward stepped beside her, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I know I believe…and how," he spoke just barely above a whisper, his lips grazing her ear. Bella let out a small moan; that was it, that was the last straw. She was on a fast train to hell at that point, and needed to leave, now. She stepped away from Edward and ran over to Rose and Alice, pulling them aside.

"What's up, Bella?" Rose asked sweetly. She was in a great mood, Bella noted.

"I'm not feeling well and I'm tired, I think I'm going to head back." She told them the first excuse she could think of.

"Oh, well we can come with you," Alice said with a concerned look on her face.

"No, no. Stay here and have a good time. I'll catch a cab and I'll be fine. I... I got to go," she insisted and stepped away before running out of the bar. Rose and Alice shrugged their shoulders at each other, and turned back to their respective dates.

Edward watched as Bella darted off without a backward glance. _What the fuck just happened? _He thought. He swore that they had exchanged a moment, was he wrong? He pulled Alice aside quickly to get more information.

"What's wrong with Bella? Where did she go?" Edward asked with a concerned look flashing through his eyes.

"She didn't feel well, so she left," she told him plainly. Edward was confused_. Did she really not feel well? Or was it an excuse? _He thought to himself, and knew he needed to find out.

"And no one is taking her home?" he shouted, stomping towards the exit before letting Alice answer. He shot out of the bar and looked left and then right, spotting Bella trying to hail a cab at the corner.

"Bella!" he shouted and jogged over to her. She spun around to face him; her brown eyes were glossy. Edward felt his heart sink when he saw her worried face. Looking up at him, she was unable to speak. They stood for a moment, about a foot between them both, wordlessly.

Stepping towards her, Edward grasped her by the arms firmly and pulled her body against his.

"Bella," he said much softer this time.

"Edward…I'm so confused," she whispered, shaking her head. "We…you…I…shouldn't—"

Edward didn't want to hear it; he couldn't let her stop what was happening between them. He silenced her the only way he knew how. His mouth crashed over hers and Bella let out a surprised gasp. His lips teased and danced over hers; he pulled her tighter into his arms.

"Bella…Bella…Bella…" he muttered in between kisses. His lips moved, allowing access into her mouth and he groaned when he tasted her, their tongues dancing and moving together as one.

Bella forgot everything in that moment, except for Edward Cullen: Edward's smell, Edward's taste, Edward's scruff as it grazed across her face.

"Bella, please. I need more," he muttered into her mouth. She nodded in reply. Still attached by the lips, Edward raised his hand to hail a cab and only broke away for a moment as they climbed inside.

Edward spat out Bella's address quickly to the cab driver. They sat side by side; breathing heavily, Bella gazed longingly at Edward. He growled and pulled her quickly into his lap, so that she was straddling him. He grasped her long brown hair, and kissed her passionately, his other hand roaming up the side of her body.

He teased and nipped at her lips, then moved towards her jaw bone, swirling his tongue firmly over her skin and sealing it with a kiss. Overcome with lust, Bella leaned back to allow him more access, and hit her head on the plastic divider.

"Fuck!" she cried out, and grabbed her head as Edward worked over her neck and jaw bone.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing back there? This cab is not a brothel!" the cabbie shouted at them. Edward growled and bit lightly at her neck, before tearing himself away for a moment.

"I'll give you a hundred dollar tip if you keep your eyes on the road and not the rear view mirror. Now shut the fuck up," he spat at the cab driver. The driver muttered something off in his native language and quieted down.

Edward looked up and down at Bella; her hair was all in disarray, lips swollen from kissing, and eyes full of need. He took a staggering breath in, and kissed her again. He needed her like water, she was addictive and he couldn't get enough. Bella ran her hands up and down his chest, feeling the hard flesh that lay beneath the thin fabric. Every time she ran her hands up and down, they got a little lower, braver, until they reached his pants waist. She trailed her fingers along the hem of his waist, teasing and feeling the hot skin beneath.

"Oh God," Edward muttered into her mouth at her touch. He was grasping and roaming his hands widely over her body. "This fucking sweatshirt has got to go," he said, pulling it over her head. Leaning back, he took a moment to take in what she was wearing beneath the lumpy Bears sweatshirt; a thin white tank top, thin enough that he could make out the black bra that she had on underneath.

"You are going to be the death of me, Ms. Swan. From the moment I spilled hot coffee all over you, I've wanted to do this," he said, licking his lips. He moved his hands towards her back and unclasped her bra. With an expert like skill, he pushed each strap over her arms, and then pulled the bra down from underneath her tank. His eyes never left her chest, as he made out the hard pink nipples that shone through the thin white top. Reaching out with one hand, he cupped her breast and leaned down to capture the other in his mouth.

Bella let out a moan as Edward swirled his tongue around her nipple, making the fabric of her shirt very wet and see-through. Switching, he moved to the other side and repeated the action. Bella shivered when he blew softly over the wet fabric and inadvertently ground against his hips.

It was then, when the cab pulled in front of Bella's apartment, that they were ripped from their actions.

Edward threw the driver his money, and lifted Bella off his lap to exit the cab. Not letting her feet touch the ground for even a moment, he scooped her up in his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Bella grasped at his bronzed hair as he kissed her, walking up the steps to the door.

"Key…in lock," he muttered into her mouth. Holding onto Edward for support, Bella managed to get her keys out to open the door, before Edward hastily shoved them through the threshold of the door, kicking it shut behind them.

"Finally," she sighed. Edward pushed her tank up and pulled it over her head. Grasping at her chest, he suckled fiercely as he shuffled his way over to the stairs, and tripped at the first step. Their bodies collapsed against the stairs; Bella let out a giggle as she lay topless on the stairs, clad only in skinny jeans. Grabbing him by the neck, she pulled Edward back for a kiss. At the contact, Edward groaned, and ground his pelvis against hers. Feeling his erection through his jeans, Bella reached down between them.

"Who the fuck wears button fly jeans?" Bella groaned into Edward's mouth, as she struggled to work his pants. Edward grunted and pulled at the denim, yanking them open for Bella. Covered only by boxer briefs, his erection sprang forth and he began to grind against her again. His movements sent a flood of moisture between her legs as Edward became more vigorous with his tempo.

"Ouch, Edward," Bella let out a whimper. Startled, Edward pulled back. Her face had a look of pain across it.

"I'm sorry, what did I do?" he asked.

"Ah, not you, the stairs. They are hurting my back," Bella told him, as she tried to adjust position. Instead, Edward scooped her up in his arms, bridal style and carried her up the stairs.

"What door?" he asked when they reached the top landing.

"This one," Bella told him, pointing to the far door on the right.

"Perfect." Edward swung the door open to Bella's room. In the dark night, the room looked cold, sterile and empty. The windows were covered with a sheer white cloth; the room was lit from the glow of the city, giving it an eerie feeling. Edward set Bella down at the end of her bed, and walked over to the other side.

Edward took a moment to take it all in and stared at Bella, her eyes wide as she watched him. The silence in the room was deafening; he could hear his heart beating wildly. Spotting a CD player, he walked over to turn on some music.

"What do we have here?" he asked, pressing play. The smooth gentle tone of a trumpet crescendo softly sounded through the speaker.

He let out a small chuckle when he realized the song, _I fall in love too easily, _and moved towards the bed.

"It's Miles Davis," Bella said softly into the cool night. He nodded at her with his wide crooked smile, and pulled his shirt over his head. Bella gasped as she took in Edward's half naked body.

"I know, it's perfect," he said slowly, walking towards her. Standing over her, he looked down at her wide brown eyes, _his_ chocolate brown eyes; they were his and nobody else's. He cupped her face and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Deepening the kiss, he pushed her back on the bed, and crawled over her body.

With a sudden sense of urgency, Bella pulled him down against her and ground her hips against his.

"Edward," she panted. He sensed her need, covering her with kisses all over her face and neck. He pushed at the waist of his jeans, and shoved them down. He stepped out of them, and crawled back up between Bella's legs. He locked eyes with her as he slowly undid her buttons.

"Is this okay?" he asked. Bella nodded and he pulled her tight pants down slowly, revealing her tiny black thong. Once he'd crawled back over her, skimming her waist with his hands, he trailed his fingers over her body in tune with the music. He was falling for Bella, far too easily. The passionate melody of the song overcame him and he kissed her with all the passion he could convey.

He fingered at the waistband of her thong as he kissed her. He was completely consumed by her. Everything felt right, natural with Bella. The lingering ending note of the trumpet echoed through the room, and he stilled his hands at her waist. The next song began to play and Edward slowly tugged at the elastic, pulling the fabric over her long lean legs. He placed a kiss on her foot when he'd completely removed it. His eyes immediately went to her beautiful center, spreading her legs wider for a better view.

Without hesitation, Edward needed to taste Bella; he felt he would die if he didn't. He leaned forward and lapped at her wet core. Letting out a moan at his ministrations, Bella yanked at his bronzed hair pulling him closer. He swirled his tongue over her clit, and plunged two fingers into her channel.

Bella arched her back, her cries echoing into the dark room, and resounding over the crooning jazz music. It had been far too long since she had been with someone. She reached down to where Edward was performing his masterpiece, and gently tugged him away. Edward glanced up at her from between her legs, breathing heavily and his eyes looking dark with need.

"I need…" Bella tried to stammer out. Edward hastily removed his boxer briefs and slid on a condom from his wallet. Propping up on her forearms, Bella watched him as he stood before her, in all his glory. She had dreamed of it a dozen times before and never imagined it would be like this. The blue glow of the city that lit the room illuminated Edward, making him look cool and pale, like a statue. The shadows accentuated the muscles of his long lean form. He crawled over her, nestling himself between her thighs, and brushed against her entrance. Bella felt dizzy, feeling drunk on Edward Cullen.

Leaning forward Edward cradled her head in his arm, and leaned in for a passionate kiss as he pushed inside. Her cries were captured in his mouth as he rocked into her. Bella grasped onto him, and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Edward fiercely needed her; he pressed against her body, connecting in every way possible. He felt his heart wrenching as he heard her cries of need, and answered every call. When he felt her come, Edward gave himself completely over to her, pouring himself out.

That night without realizing it, Edward made love to Bella.

****

"Where did Edward go?" Emmett asked Rose, as he took out his phone. She glanced around the bar and shrugged her shoulders.

"To take Bella home, she wasn't feeling well," Alice leaned over to inform him.

"Oh, okay," said Emmett, flipping his phone shut. He turned back to Rose who was chewing on her straw. "Can I get you another drink?" he asked her politely.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she teased him and winked.

"Uh, no! I would never," Emmett stuttered out.

"I'm just teasing you." Rosalie tried to pacify him, and placed her hand gently on his arm, letting it linger for a moment. She glanced over to Alice, who was sitting in Jasper's lap. Their foreheads were touching as they exchanged whispers and kisses. Rose sighed as she watched their interaction; she had never had a relationship like the one they shared and placed herself in the "I'm not having a serious relationship box." They were completely consumed with one another, and oblivious to the world around them.

Rose sighed again and turned back to Emmett." You want to get out of here?"

Emmett placed his drink on the table and shot up.

"Um…sure!"

Rose chuckled at his eagerness

"Not like that, I meant for like a walk or something." She rolled her eyes.

"Of course." Emmett nodded quickly.

"Hey, Alice. We're going to go for a walk." She leaned over to tell her friend. Alice giggled and nodded.

"I'll be at Jasper's tonight," she replied and swatted at him for kissing her neck while she spoke.

"Okay, see you," Rose said goodbye and held out her hand for Emmett. He smiled widely before grasping it in his own and following her out of the bar.

****

When Bella awoke later that morning, she was greeted by a friendly poke on the back of her leg. Edward still had his arms locked around her like a straight jacket, his hand lingering over her breast. Unwilling to move, Bella stared across her room at her closet, for what seemed like hours. Silently she listened to the steady breathing of Edward as he slept. His face nuzzled against her hair; she could feel his warm breath against her neck. He groaned and shifted in his sleep and began to mutter inaudible words. Bella remained still, trying to make out what he was saying, although it was mostly grunting and groaning. The noises he was making sent a rush of liquid pooling between her thighs. It was when he muttered her name, _Bella_, that she lost it.

Bella let out a low moan and pressed her backside against Edward. She wiggled her butt a little until she was able to reposition him between her thighs. While Edward slept and groaned, Bella gently rubbed herself back and forth against his cock. Needing more friction, she snaked her hand down between them and pushed his cock between her folds, rubbing her moisture over him for easier gliding. Becoming more desperate with her movements, Bella used Edward to rub against her, pushing him more firmly at her entrance before he grazed up to her clit. Each time she let out a small moan, as he passed on by. Bella wanted Edward, needed Edward.

Repositioning her hand, Bella took Edward's member and swirled it against her entrance, she was just about to rub against it again, when she felt his hips jerk and he slammed into her. Bella cried out as Edward grabbed her hips and began to thrust quick and hard into her.

"So, you thought you'd have a little fun with me then?" he whispered into her ear, biting at it lightly. "I was just dreaming about fucking you, to wake up to you _almost_ fucking me."

Bella whimpered, unable to respond. Edward snaked his hand around to Bella's front and down to her clit. He circled it between his two fingers as he continued to thrust into her from behind.

"Hmm, Bella," Edward breathed out heavily. He wrapped his arm around her, and rolled onto his back, taking her with him in the same position. Bella lay on her back against Edward's chest, her face pressed against his. He thrust quickly into her, and ran his hand down her side, helping to keep her balance. The change in position made Bella feel exposed, and wonderful. Edward rocked beneath her and continued his motions. He brought one hand back to her clit and continued to work her over.

"Fuck, Bella. I want to fuck you all day." He bit and licked at her ear. Bella reached behind her and ran her hands through Edward's hair.

"Please?" she asked, not knowing what for. Her whole body was in ecstasy, on the brink. Her breathing was becoming erratic. Edward quickened his motions, willing Bella to come before him.

"Edward, oh God," Bella cried out, as her body quaked over and over as he continued to rock beneath her. Edward thrust into her hard and fast several more times as she rode out her orgasm, triggering his own.

Bella collapsed against his body, and Edward wrapped his arms around her. Rolling them back over to the side, Edward turned Bella around to face him; he needed to see those chocolate eyes; those eyes that had done him in. He kissed her sweetly and sighed, full of contentment.

"Let's go get breakfast," he suggested hearing her stomach rumble. "I'll call us in for the day."

"Okay, but only under one condition," she blushed.

"And what's that?" he asked, pushing a small piece of hair away from her face.

"You don't touch any ketchup bottles," she laughed as he rolled over her, and began to tickle her.

"Oh really?" he teased, as he pinned her beneath him, tickling and kissing her all over. Bella laughed hysterically, trying to control herself.

"Edward, please! Stop!" she begged, gasping for air.

"I don't know, I like hearing you beg my name," he chuckled as he continued to tickle her.

"Please, Edward!!" she laughed. He slowed his motions and kissed her one last time sweetly on the lips.

"Fine," he smiled. "Get dressed! Let's go eat!" he said as he sprang naked off the bed.

*****

AN: bow wow chica wow wow!!! OoOOOOoOOO! So it finally happened.. finally. For all you who wanted to punch me through your computer last chapter, I asked that in light of this turn of events to leave me a review! Sorry I did'nt get to respond to all of them! i didn't want to give anything away!

and to those who read and don't review, come on! give me something, even a smiley face will do!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Thanks to Rachelcullen77 and Qjmom who both were like super speedy on beta'ing this chap! xoxo! :D

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chap! I've been a failure about responding, I know. NaNoWriMo is kicking my butt. (I'm finishing up this story fyi...) I will respond though...well, most of you at least. some of you are picking up on some of the subtle foreshadowing- so good for you! ;p but i can't say anything or i will give any important plot points! lol.

xoxo to Sunfeathers who pimps out my story. i heart you.

Holla at my WC ladies for being my cheerleaders when i don't have the will to write anymore. xoxo!

I eated Red vines and fritos flavor twists. mmm yum.

****

"Oh my God, Alice. We literally walked around the entire city talking all night," Rose gushed over the phone.

"Really? So, did he end up asking you out?" Alice asked anxiously as she filed together some papers on her desk before leaving the office.

"Maybe…" Alice's heart dropped, as did the large stack of papers she had been holding, making a loud thump.

"Tell me everything!"

"Well, we finally walked back to our apartment around dawn, and, I don't know, I must have been affected due to lack of sleep. But he asked me out, and I said yes," Rose confessed eyeing a shirt she liked across the store

"Eeeeeek!!" Alice screamed into the phone, making Rose flinch and hold it away from her ear.

"Geez, Alice."

"Finally! Oh my God, we can totally double date all the time, this is so great!" Alice tucked the rest of her files into her brief case and shut it tightly.

"Whoa, I don't know about all that just yet. I agreed to _one_ date after I get back from shooting my commercial. Ooo cute shoes," Rose explained to Alice grasping a few pairs of shoes from a table. She was in search of a few new things to buy with her large pay check.

"Hm." Alice wasn't convinced yet, but wasn't going to press Rose anymore.

"Hey, what was up with Bella and Edward at the game yesterday?" Rose asked, wanting to change the subject, but also curious. She had noticed them acting oddly.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? You're little miss notice everything, and you didn't notice them acting weird?" Rose was flabbergasted.

"I don't know," Alice shrugged on her jacket and snatched up her things. "I'm trying to recall, honestly, I was so focused on you and Emmett that I didn't really notice. They were just…there."

"Huh, well, I guess I could've been mistaken. It was probably nothing, or just awkwardness."

"Yeah, probably. Hey I've got to run off to a meeting, will I see you tonight?" asked Alice.

"Maybe. I have to pack, and then catch the 'El' later on to O'hare."

"Okay, we'll chat later then. Break a leg!"

****

It had been one day since Bella's drunken escapades with Edward Cullen. After they went out for breakfast, Edward had walked her home, and headed back to his apartment. Still feeling hung over, Bella had taken the afternoon to relax and recover. She had somehow managed to avoid bumping into her roommates during this entire event, which was a miracle in itself. Bella in no way wanted to explain to her roommates what had happened. _What __**had**__ happened? _She thought to herself. She was unsure of what was going on between them; being around Edward was a roller coaster of emotions.

Swiping her pass at the turn-style, Bella darted up the steps to the 'L' train. As she waited, her thoughts went back to the events of that weekend. _Oh God, my date with Jacob, _she thought and sighed. _How did I go from no guys to two guys in one weekend? _Torn between two very different people, Bella had no idea what to do, except to just wait and see.

The train approached and once on board, Bella managed to find a seat. Watching the world outside, she tried to focus back on work. Work is what she needed to focus on. _Dammit Alice! You and your meddling. _

Before she knew it, the train had reached her destination. Bella made her way out of the station, and to the office which was right next door. She spotted Jessica and Mike enjoying their morning cigarette. As usual, Jessica glared at Bella as she passed; Mike gave her a polite wave. He had become particularly friendly to Bella, ever since her move to the next floor. He meant well, but it wasn't helping her situation with Jessica in the least. Nodding back, Bella made her way to the elevators.

"Morning Al." She waved her security pass to the old man sporting his thick rimmed glasses.

"Good morning, Bella! Missed you yesterday!" He perked up when he saw her.

"Oh, I wasn't feeling well. Too much celebrating from the Bears win on Sunday." She smiled back at him and chuckled.

"That certainly was a great game." He chuckled, pushing the glasses up his nose with his pointer finger.

"Yes it was very… titillating," Bella replied and muttered as she walked away. She pressed the shiny silver button to the twenty-third floor and grinned. The doors glided shut, and Bella looked around the empty elevator car to the corner where it all began. Memories of Edward's hands on her body came rushing back to her, and her body warmed at the thought. Her head was reeling, and she tried to shake off the sensations as she reached her floor. Coffee is what she needed to get her mind focused.

After she grabbed a cup of black coffee, Bella got settled at her desk and began to work on some of her projects.

*****

The cherry hardwood floor of Edward's apartment was stained with piles of clothes littered about. Edward ran back and forth, tossing more to the piles.

"Where the fuck did I put my black skinny tie?" he asked himself out loud, trying to remember the last time he wore it. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair, and yanked at it. Catching his reflection in the mirror, he gave himself a nod of approval at what he had just done, making his hair the right amount of messy. However, finding the right outfit to wear to the office was proving to be a more difficult task than usual.

Standing in the middle of his apartment, Edward paused and drew in a steady breath.

"Okay, stop acting like a fucking girl and just pick something." He spotted a green shirt that Tanya had bought to match his eyes, and yanked it on. He glanced once more at himself in the mirror and darted out the front door.

He chased down the first cab he saw, and hopped inside. He managed to catch his breath on the quick ride to the office. As he exited the cab, something grabbed his eye, and made him smile. _Coffee._ Deciding to make a quick stop, he ran into Starbucks and ordered two black coffees.

Confident in his plan, he strolled across the lobby building to the elevators.

"Morning!" He nodded his head to the elderly security guard.

"Good morning, Edward. You brought me coffee?" he chuckled.

"Ha, not today I'm afraid," he said smiling, before entering the elevator.

Edward whistled and tapped his foot lightly to the music in the car ride up to the twenty second floor. Upon arrival he drew in a brave breath and charged forward.

"Good morning Mr. Cullen," the receptionist purred as he passed by.

"Morning," Edward replied shortly and made his way through the maze of work stations until he found the one he was looking for. He slowed down when he noticed something was different. The desk was completely empty, as though no one had ever worked there.

Stunned, Edward's breath hitched and he glanced around him; everyone seemed to be acting perfectly normal. He leaned against the edge of the desk, and drew a long sip of his coffee, a poor substitute for his need of something stronger in that moment. He shook his head in disbelieve and sighed; he had done it. He had slept with Bella and made her quit.

_Emmett's going to kill me, _he thought. He picked himself up and made the long daunting walk back upstairs. He shook his head again, he couldn't believe that she would leave just like that. Hadn't they shared something? Silently, he rode the elevator to the next floor and made his way back to his private office.

Irritated and annoyed with himself, Edward dragged his feet down the long hallway, still holding Bella's coffee.

"Edward!" Emmett called over to him, and jogged over to meet his stride.

"Here, take this coffee." Edward thrust the extra cup towards him forcefully.

"Gee thanks," Emmett thanked him and took a sip. "Blech! Black? Edward you know I only drink extra hot lattes with whole milk."

"Sorry, just throw it away then," Edward told him and continued his mission to his office. He glanced sideways at Mike who was talking to some brunette. Before he could get a look at her face, Emmett wrapped his arm around Edward's shoulder in a friendly manner and smiled.

"Dude, guess who has a date with Rosalie Hale this weekend?" He smiled widely and pretended to punch him lightly in the stomach. Jumping back a foot, Edward opened the door to his office, and showed Emmett in.

"Lemme guess…you?" Edward replied sarcastically and sat down at his desk chair.

"You're damn right!" Emmett punched the air, and walked over to the couch. Pausing before he sat down, Emmett furrowed his brow and turned to Edward.

"Um… what's with the feathers all over the ground?" Startled and embarrassed Edward sprang to his feet to see a mess of feathers all over the ground from last week. He felt his face flush, and the memory of why he had ripped up the pillows came rushing back. It dawned on him that neither his father, Emmett, nor Bella had mentioned anything about the elevator.

"I…uh…had a bad day," Edward desperately tried to think of something to say.

"Geez, man. That's what whiskey's for. You better not let Esme see your office like this," he commented. Brushing a few feathers off the couch, Emmett managed to find a place to sit.

Yeah, about that. Hey listen, we've been friends for a long time right?" Edward asked, trying to find the words to speak.

"Sure, sure," he replied, distracted by his blackberry. Edward crossed the room to sit at the edge of his desk to face Emmett, trying to gather the courage to confess why Bella had quit. He watched as Emmett clicked away at the buttons on his phone. _Maybe he won't even hear me, _he thought hopefully.

"Well there's something I need to tell you about Bella…"

"What about her? Wait—" Emmett held up a finger, motioning Edward to pause for moment "—I need to take this call. If you need to talk to Bella, get her yourself, she's right outside. Hello?!" Emmett answered his call and mouthed to Edward to go outside.

"—I don't need to talk to her, wait—what?" Confused, Edward stood up and went to his door; he looked out the sidelight glass and saw Bella chatting with Mike. Astonished, he swung the door of his office wide open.

"Bella!" he called her name a bit louder than he meant to. Startled, Mike and Bella both whipped their heads up to find Edward standing in front of her desk with a wide goofy grin.

Mike leaned back and folded his arms across his chest, and glared as Edward slowly approached them. Bella looked back and forth between Edward and Mike, and turned to Mike.

"Hey, Mike. I'll catch up with you later," she whispered to him, hoping he'd leave before Edward said anything. Mike scoffed and turned on his heel towards his office, slamming the door behind him.

Bella blushed as she looked down at her desk, pretending to be interested in her work.

"What do you need, Edward?" she asked him quietly. She hadn't known how she would react to seeing him at the office after they had been together, but when he'd burst out his office with the jade green shirt that matched his eyes and a smile that made her melt inside, Bella knew she was in trouble.

"I thought… I thought you were gone," he said, stepping closer towards her. Bella struggled to breathe when she inhaled his scent; it was intoxicating.

"What do you mean gone? I'm right here," she informed him.

"I… your desk was empty. " Edward felt his stomach doing flips as he took in Bella; she was wearing a red button shirt tucked into a slim black pencil skirt, with sheer black stockings and shiny patent leather pumps. She had straightened her hair, so that it was long, brown and sleek, cascading down her shoulder. A bit alarmed by his goofy look and his remark, Bella looked around herself to the cluttered mess surrounding her.

"Are you drunk?" she asked him seriously.

"What? No!" Edward shook his head, taken aback.

"You're acting…weird, and as you can see, my desk is far from empty," she told him, gesturing around herself. For the first time since he'd set eyes on her, Edward glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

"You moved?"

"Yes, captain obvious, I did. Carlisle promoted me last Thursday," she informed him. Understanding washed over Edward like a cool shower on a hot day, and if it were possible, the goofy crooked grin he was wearing got goofier.

"So, you sit up here now?" he said again, not believing it to be true.

"Again, yes. Are you sure you're not drunk?" Bella cocked an eyebrow at Edward and looked at him warily.

"Yes, well, not on liquor anyway," he smiled at her.

"Bella!" Emmett's voice boomed as he exited Edward's office and joined them. "Our meeting's been pushed up; we need to get cracking on those presentations." He patted Edward on the back.

"You two get to chat?" Edward coughed and took a step back.

"Uh, yeah. Hey, Bella, design charrette meeting this afternoon at two o'clock." Edward lightly tapped the top of her desk before excusing himself to his office. Holding his breath until he had closed the door, Edward let out a long sigh and slid down the back of the door.

"Well, fuck me sideways." He smiled to himself.

****

Rose glanced at her watch and sighed, she was running late as usual. Snatching clothes left and right from her closet, she shoved them into her suitcase and ran over a mental list, making sure she had everything she needed for her trip. Satisfied that she did, Rose bounced across her bed to grab her guilty pleasure for the flight, a bodice ripping romance novel. She tucked the paperback into her oversized purse and pulled the handle of her suitcase, making her way downstairs.

Excited and nervous, Rose ran over her lines in her head, and just as she was about to reach the front door, she heard a knock. _Probably Jasper, _she mused and yanked it open without a thought.

But it wasn't Jasper. She gasped as she took in the tall figure standing before her. Wearing a long black three button wool coat over a suit, she glanced up to meet the brooding eyes staring down at her. A sly grin crossed his face as the man ran his fingers through his dark slicked back hair.

"Rose, darling, I've missed you." Rose yanked the suitcase by the handle and tossed it outside, shutting the door behind her.

"Roy," she replied through gritted teeth and heading down the steps. Confused, Roy turned around, watching her walk away.

"Darling, where are you going?" he asked, jogging down a few steps to catch up.

"New York, I booked a job." She pulled up the collapsible handle and wheeled her suitcase down the bumpy side walk.

"New York? Oh that's wonderful, Rose." Roy continued to walk beside her. Trying to get her attention, he grasped her arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Ouch! Roy! Why are you here? What do you want?" she asked him, irritated. He looked at her with pleading eyes, and ran a finger across her cheek.

"You won't return any of my calls anymore…" He searched her face, and glanced down to her full lips.

"Because we aren't dating anymore," she said firmly.

"Why do you keep saying that, love?" Roy brushed his thumb lightly over her lips.

"Roy, please, don't. I'm going to be late." She yanked herself away and reached for her suitcase.

"Rose, wait," he called after her. "At least let me give you a ride to the airport, you know how much I despise you taking public transportation." Rose sighed, and knowing she'd probably miss her flight, she gave in.

"Fine, let's go," she agreed and shoved her suitcase at Roy and stalked off towards his Audi.

*****

Edward could not have been more excited for a meeting in his life. He bounced his leg in his seat as he watched the clock.

1:45.

He had fifteen minutes before they had their meeting. He leaned back in his chair and glanced out his window. From this view, he had discovered he could see the top of Bella's head and had already made a habit of doing it. He watched as she brushed her long brown hair over her shoulder, and felt himself oddly aroused. Groaning, he tipped his chair forward again and glanced back to his clock.

1:46.

Waiting to be with her was pure torture; when the clock hit 1:47, he decided that he had waited long enough and shot up from his seat, and with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning, Edward made his way over to Bella's desk.

Not realizing he was there, he studied Bella freely, until the prickling feeling of being watched made her look up. She was met by dark eyes filled with the hunger she had seen on Sunday night. Her mouth went dry, and Bella swallowed before speaking.

"Hi—"

"You ready for me already?" she asked him, glancing at the clock.

"I thought we could run down to the lobby and grab coffee before we got started." Bella drummed her fingers lightly over her desk, thinking for a moment.

"Okay, let's go." She rose to her feet and straightened her skirt. Edward followed her to the elevator, walking a half step behind her to glance at her straight back and perfectly round backside. Groaning, he leaned against the elevator wall, and quickly adjusted himself before Bella could notice. She turned around to find him watching her yet again, and blushed before turning away to stare directly at her reflection in the stainless steel doors. From the reflection, she studied Edward as he studied her.

When they arrived at the ground floor, Edward placed his hand on the small of her back, escorting her. At his touch, their bodies burned as red as Bella's shirt at the connection. Edward dropped his hand, letting it slide over the top curve of her ass before he let go completely.

He ordered them two Americanos and gave Bella her cup, after putting a coffee collar on it.

"Now, remember to shout out "corner" when you're carrying around this thing," Edward teased her and winked.

"Very funny." Bella rolled her eyes and took a sip of the hot beverage. The distance between them grew as they headed back up to the large conference room on the main floor, where several other designers would be working on the design charrette as well. Not knowing what had happened, or what was happening between them, one thing Bella did know for certain was that no one was going to find out about her and Edward. So far, she had even managed to keep that from her best friends. However, with Jessica already accusing her, before anything had even happened, the last thing she needed was for anyone to find out.

When they got to the room, Bella found an empty seat and sat down. Edward crossed the room to the front to address the group.

"Afternoon, everyone. As you know, you've been asked here today to work on and then present your ideas. You'll have an hour to come up with whatever you can, and then at three o'clock we will go around the room and share our ideas. This is a safe and friendly place to share openly. Feel free to use any of the supplies we have provided, and good luck," he concluded and sat down at the end of the table.

He watched as Bella grabbed a roll of white trace paper and a few markers and began to sketch. He studied her determined face carefully as she worked. He noticed how the expressions on her face changed, as though she was having a wordless conversation with herself. He realized he had been watching her for an entire hour when the timer beeped. He wrenched himself away from his Bella-coma and stood back up.

"Uhhh…okay. Who would like to present first?" Edward asked, glancing around the room. "Let's start over here and then go around the table then, shall we?" He motioned to the middle-aged man sitting to his left. Trying to pay attention when Bella was in the room seemed nearly impossible to Edward today. He nodded politely as each individual presented their ideas to the group, taking notes where he thought necessary. He perked up when it was Bella's turn to present. She held up a rough sketch of a sleek modern stadium that blended well with the existing architecture in the city and explained her thoughts on the design and how to mesh it with the existing buildings in the area.

"I like that, Bella. Good idea," Edward spoke up when she was finished. He heard someone mutter something from across the room, and shot a glance over when he noticed Bella set her things down and blush.

"What's that, Mike?" he asked, feeling like a teacher who had just caught someone passing notes.

"Nothing," he replied smartly and chuckled to himself.

Edward kept glancing over to Bella as he listened to the rest of the group finish presenting their ideas. Bella had kept her head down the entire time and he wanted to know what Mike had said.

When the meeting was finally over, Edward gathered up the things he needed, and stalked out of the conference room to find Bella. He raced back upstairs and didn't see her at her desk. He jogged over to Emmett's office, and yanked the door open. Emmett covered the receiver of the phone and looked up at Edward.

"Have you seen Bella?"

"No man," he told him, and turned back to his phone conversation. Edward spun around and yanked at his hair. His heart skipped a beat, when he saw her walking down the hall towards her desk.

He ran over to meet her and was taken aback when he noticed her eyes were red and watery.

"Bella, are you okay? What did Mike say to you?" he asked concerned, searching her face for an answer. Letting out a sigh, Bella wiped at her eyes.

"We should talk, Edward."

*****

AHhh.. another cliffy.. I'm sorry! Don't hate me! But you know you love me for making you want more. hehe.

The review from last chap were AMAZINGLY awesome. Thank you so much! and it was great to hear from some new people too! :)

You know the drill...leave me your love or frustrations. haha. xoxo! Dark Moon.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: sorry for leaving you hanging...but holidays and such. Anyways, without further delay read on!

Thanks to qjmom and rachelcullen77 for being my beta's on this!!

and of course I do'nt own, sm does. :)

Holla at my WC girls. :)

****

"We need to talk, Edward," Bella sighed, keeping her head down, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"What—what happened?" Edward ushered Bella quickly into his office and shut the door behind them. Her entire body shaking, Bella crossed the room and paused.

"Why are there feathers everywhere?" she asked him curiously, pointing at the mess Edward had yet to clean up.

"Uh…" Edward scurried over to her, and began scooping up the evidence in his hands, and dumping it into the waste bin. After he had brushed off most of the remains, he led her to sit down beside him on the couch.

Her hair fell around her face, blocking his view from her dark brown eyes. Her breathing hitched, holding back a sob.

"Bella, tell me what's wrong," Edward pleaded. Reaching out, he tucked her hair behind her eye and slowly brushed the back of his hand against her cheek.

"This—"she gestured between them. "—Edward, if anyone found out what…what we did, it could ruin me."

"But—"

"No, let me finish. I don't want people thinking I'm sleeping my way up to the top. I know you might not think that, but…others will." Bella stood up quickly. "I need to get back to work now." She turned around, and walked straight out of Edward's private office.

Stunned, Edward fell back onto his couch; a few remaining feathers fell silently to the ground.

_What the fuck?_

****

The next few days in the office were awkward for Edward; he noticed that Bella had made a point to avoid eye contact with him ever since their conversation. He had tried to keep himself distracted with work, but found the harder he tried to not focus on Bella, the more he ended up thinking of her.

When Friday finally rolled around, Edward had had just about enough of Bella's silent treatment. He meant to confront her after he got into the office from his meeting, but she wasn't to be found.

Edward sighed and leaned back in his black leather chair. Slowly rocking back and forth he stared out his window. His office had a great view of the city, the entire right wall was a full height window, but he barely paid any attention to the world around him anymore. Lately his existence and focus had been on chocolate; Bella's chocolate eyes, and chocolate hair. Bella, Bella, Bella.

He needed answers and he needed to talk to her.

Flicking open his laptop, Edward pulled up his work email, and opened up the calendars. He normally wouldn't do something like this…but he typed in Bella's name in the search and pulled up her office calendar. He opened the current date and checked her schedule, glancing over the appointments for the day; meeting downtown with E, small break, then lunch with J, and then the rest of the afternoon was open.

He glanced at his watch, _she was late! Where was she_? Trying to focus on actual work, he tried writing a few proposals to pass the time. When he realized he had been working out the same calculation for the project budget over and over again, he shoved himself away from his desk to get coffee.

His quick trip to the break room was a well needed distraction. When he heard Emmett's booming voice echo across the office, his heart skipped a beat, for the first and hopefully the last time for his best friend, as he knew Bella would be with him. He scurried cautiously out of the break room with his mug of hot coffee and scanned the office for Bella.

Gliding towards her desk with a bunch of drawings under her arm, she was wearing a curve hugging navy blue suit jacket and matching shirt; beneath was a flouncy white blouse. He groaned when she tossed her long brown hair over one shoulder when Emmett made her laugh. Quickly, he crossed the room, hoping to intercept her on the way back to her desk.

"Hey Bella, here let me help you with that." Edward tried to maneuver sets of drawings from Bella's arms with one hand. Surprised at his sudden appearance, she turned and let him take the drawings.

"Oh, thanks, Edward," she said cautiously, eyeing him a bit and turned back to Emmett.

"So, anyway, Emmett, I think that will be a great idea for Rose." Edward figured they had been talking about his big date. Emmett hadn't shut up about it all week.

"Perfect! I got to make a couple phone calls! See you guys later!" He slapped the top of her desk and jogged off to his office. Edward took his time to set down the drawings, glancing up at Bella, who was avoiding eye contact with him. Standing in the silence, Edward felt like a stupid kid trying to ask a girl to dance. He shifted in his stance, trying to find the courage he once had.

"Listen, Bella, can we talk?" he asked, lowering his voice a bit.

"Hm?" she replied, as if she had no idea what about, and turned to start up her computer. Frustrated, Edward sighed and leant down closer to her.

"Please, Bella, I really need—"

"Bella!" Edward jerked when he heard an unrecognized voice call her name. Bella turned to Edward, her eyes wide, and then looked over to whom had called her: the star hockey player, Jacob Black.

"Uh, Jacob!" Bella glanced at the clock. "You're here early. I thought we were meeting at the restaurant?" She shook her head at him, slightly embarrassed. Edward slowly stood and narrowed his eyes at Jacob, who was all smiles. He was wearing Levi's, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket with a motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm.

"Hi, I'm Jacob." He outstretched his hand to Edward, who slowly and reluctantly grasped it. Jacob didn't know it, but he had just shaken hands with the enemy.

"Edward," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Um, perhaps we should go. Jacob?" Bella shot up from her seat, ready to get out of there.

"Sure, whenever you're ready." He held out his hand to escort her. "Nice to meet you, Edward." Jacob smiled politely and tucked Bella under his arm.

Grunting like the cave man he felt like as he watched them walk away, Edward wanted to club Jacob over the head and drag Bella back to his office as his own. Instead, he stood there, stunned.

Edward was not going down without a fight.

****

Rose felt like throwing her phone at the wall.

Ever since Roy had given her a ride to the airport, he had been relentless in his attempts to win her back. It was beginning to get out of control; he had been calling her and texting her obsessively. She sighed and sat down at her vanity, opening up a small box; she tucked her phone inside and locked it.

Tonight was her date with Emmett. She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, studying every feature so that it was perfection. Knowing she had been playing hard to get, she really needed to be on top of her game tonight. Emmett, he well, made her nervous, and Rose didn't like that.

She slid open the bottom drawer, and pulled out her secret stash of 1800 tequila. Flipping it over to fill up the cap for a shot, she threw it back and shivered with the taste. She needed all the help she could get to calm her nerves.

When the chimes of the doorbell rang, Rose's stomach did a flip. Quickly tossing back one more shot, she patted down her hair, checked her lipstick and made her way downstairs.

Emmett was standing in the front hall as Alice scurried away to the kitchen, leaving them alone. Rose smiled at him. He looked absolutely gorgeous in his black dress pants and blue button down, the top few buttons already undone. Rose unconsciously licked her lips at the sight.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Rose." Emmett's eyes lit up when he saw her; she was wearing a tight red mini-dress that showed off every one of her curves; her long blonde hair was sleek with a gentle wave in the front and her lips…blood red. Her heart pounded as she glanced up at him seductively. _I should've had more tequila, _she thought, when he cracked a smile and his dimple popped. She had been dying to lick that dimple ever since she first saw him.

Realizing they needed to leave, or any second now she would jump him, Rose moved towards the door.

"Uh, wait. I have something for you." Emmett pulled out a nice sized brown box from behind his back and handed it to Rose. "I checked with your roommates, and they are okay with it…" Rose was confused and took the box from him. It was off balanced and a bit heavier than she expected.

She glanced up at him, and slowly opened the top to peek inside.

When she saw the contents, her heart warmed and her face lit up like an eight year old kid on Christmas morning.

"Jabba! Oh I missed you," she cried when she saw the chubby white kitten peaking up at her from the small brown box. She quickly snatched Jabba from the box and pecked loving kisses on his face, covering its white fur in red lipstick.

Emmett chuckled at Rose's display of affection.

"I heard how much fun you guys had, and I think he missed you. So I thought it only seemed right that he came back to his first love." Emmett smiled at her.

"You mean…he's mine?" she asked him, astonished.

"If you want him he is. Like I said, I checked with Bella and Alice and they both don't mind."

"Aww… Jabba." She kissed him again on the mouth and the cat desperately tried licking off the sticky lipstick. "Now, I don't want to leave him home alone." Emmett closed the distance between them, and began to pet the little cat, looking right at home in Rose's arms.

"We can always stay in if you like and order food, although no one will get to see how hot my date is… on second thought, I won't have to fight anyone off either," Emmett laughed lightly but lost his words when he glanced down to meet Rose's beautiful eyes beneath her dark lashes.

"Staying in might actually be nice…" Rose said quietly.

"Okay then, I'll order us food. Any preference?"

"Hm…" Rose thought for a moment while petting the purring cat. "Order us some super greasy and spicy Thai food."

"Okay, I know just the place." Emmett whipped out his cell phone and began to dial. Rose walked towards the living room, still holding her little man.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked him as he called to order.

"Sure, pick something out!" Rose walked over to the DVD stand to check out the movie selection that was already at their house; she felt like something…girlish. Finding just the right one, Emmett walked into the room wearing a wide grin.

"I think I've got it," she told him and leaned over to pop in the DVD. Making her way back to the couch, she sat Jabba down in between them. Emmett leaned towards Rose a bit closer, stretching his arm out on the back of the couch behind her. With his other hand, he leaned over to pet the small cat with Rose.

"What did you pick?" he asked her as she played with the many remotes to the television.

"What did you order?"

"A little bit of everything."

"Good. We are watching Bridget Jones," she told him, just as the title screen popped up for the movie.

"A chick flick?" he teased her. Rose shot him a look.

"Have you seen this movie?" she asked.

"No, of course not. Why would I have?" Rose shrugged her shoulders and hit play.

"Well, that's what we are watching. Right, Jabba?" She leaned down to place a light kiss on his head.

"That little guy's going to get more action that me…" Emmett muttered under his breath, but it did not go unnoticed by Rose, who tried to hold back a smile. With the lights dimmed in the living room, Rose sort of felt like she was in high school again as they watched the movie. The awkward obvious distance between them felt like miles.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Alice left to go over to Jasper's, and Bella was still locked up in her room. A few moments later the front door buzzed with the food. Emmett paid the delivery boy and carried the food into the living room.

"Do you want to eat here, or in the kitchen?" he asked Rose.

"Let's eat in here; I'll go grab some plates." She stood and sashayed into the kitchen. Emmett couldn't help but watch her walk away, and bit his knuckles as he did.

He was starting to forget why he'd had been such a gentleman the first night they'd met; his other head was taking over his thought process. Rose strutted back into the room holding two plates and utensil sets, and two bottles of beers.

Rose arched her body over seductively as she set the plates down on the coffee table before Emmett and handed him a bottle of beer.

"Light beer, chick flick, and greasy food, I think I've been tricked into a girl's night in! Had I known, I would've brought low-fat ice cream and cookie dough." He laughed as he scooped helpings of spicy Thai noodles onto Rose's plate.

"Hey, don't knock the light beer. I get a discount now." Rose smirked before she seductively and expertly wrapped her lips around the bottle and drew a sip.

"That's right! When does your commercial air? It was a commercial right?" Emmett asked her genuinely interested.

"Not for another few months. They actually maybe want me to do some print ads too, so that would be good. I'll have to do a few test shoots before they decide." Rose pushed her food around the plate with her fork, finally selecting a piece of chicken. Emmett smiled to himself as she ate the meat.

"What kind of test shoots?" he asked before dipping a spring roll in sweet and sour sauce.

"I'm not sure exactly, probably just the typical 'hot girl in a cropped off football uniform' ad campaign," she said plainly and grabbed a roll for herself. The image of Rose in a tight football uniform all but made Emmett cream himself, his half eaten spring roll fell from his lifeless fingers. He shivered and shifted his pants a bit before clearing his throat.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh… um. Yes." Emmett shifted his eyes down and started to shovel food into his mouth.

The movie continued to play as they finished up the food, eating all they could. Feeling ridiculously full, Rose tucked her legs under herself and leaned against the back of the couch, her hair falling towards Emmett. Unconsciously, he felt himself drawn to the golden locks, and began to run his fingers through her thick wavy hair.

"Hmm…that feels really good," Rose murmured at his actions; the stroking made her feel relaxed.

"Oh, um. Do you want me to stop?" Emmett asked quietly.

"No," Rose replied and shifted a bit closer towards him as she kept focused on the film.

Emmett took great pleasure in giving pleasure to Rose any way he could and any way she'd let him, and continued to run his fingers through her hair as they watched the movie.

"What? Why is she going with Daniel Cleaver now?" Emmett shouted at the TV. "What an idiot!"

Rose chuckled to herself and sat up beside Emmett so that his arm was tucked around her.

"Don't worry, just keep watching." She smiled and leaned back against his arm. Surprised at her subtle moves towards him, Emmett grinned and curled a lock of her hair around his finger, gently tracing circles on her shoulder. He felt her shiver and then relax at his motions. As the movie continued playing, he felt himself become freer with his movements, the radius of the subtle circles on her shoulder becoming wilder and more adventurous. He kept waiting for Rose to swat him away, but she didn't.

The room became almost completely black when the movie finished and the television screen began to roll the ending credits; neither one wanted to make the first move. Emmett stilled his movements, his hand resting on Rose's upper back. Slowly, Rose turned to Emmett, his face now only inches away from hers.

"So what did you think?" she asked quietly.

"Not bad, for a chick flick," he answered, and glanced down to her dark red lips. She was breathing heavily as she watched his eyes turn dark as he stared at her mouth.

His heart stood still when he slowly leaned in and tasted Rose's sweet, cherry lips. He pressed his mouth against her lips lightly, just testing the waters. When the response was warm, he moved in deeper, exploring more.

Rose moaned and felt herself spin as Emmett kissed her. He snaked his hand back up to her hair and pulled her closer. Feeling an explosion of passion ignite within her, Rose shoved Emmett back onto the couch and crawled up over him, meeting his lips once again.

From the horizontal position, Emmett ran his large strong hands over the curve of Rose's back, exploring and feeling her body as he made love to her sweet mouth. His hands roamed down over her spine and over the curve of her ass, which made Rose press her body against him.

"Ugh, Rose," Emmett cried into her mouth as Rose began to slowly grind her pelvis against him. He turned towards her neck and flipped her hair over so that he could taste and bite. Working his way up, Emmett sucked and licked at her earlobe.

"Oh God, Emmett," Rose cried when he found a sweet spot behind her ear. Her body thrashed, becoming wild as he continued to suck at her ear. "Please, please, no more!" she begged him to stop. Her body jerked and arched against him. Rose grasped at his shirt and anything else she could grab, her breathing became unsteady and heavy as her efforts to make him stop were weak and unsuccessful. She had never reacted so deeply and quickly to anyone like this. Emmett twirled his tongue around her ear again, and Rose felt her body ascending.

"Emmett, Emmett…Emmett!" she panted and cried out before yanking her body away to sit up. She arched her back and grinded against his hips for friction as she rode out an unexpected orgasm. With her eyes closed and her long hair cascading down her back, Emmett grasped at her hips and moved her gently against him, relishing the look on her face.

He felt himself close to coming, but didn't want to yet. If he was going to come it was going to be inside Rose, and not his pants.

"Ah, oh God," Rose panted, her eyes fluttering open. "You just fucking made me come from kissing." She looked down at Emmett; he noted a twinge of hunger in her eyes. Not knowing how to respond, he gazed at her lustfully, and gulped.

"Uh…" She smirked and swung her leg over him to stand up. "I bet I can do better…" She arched her eyebrow at him and held out her hand. Interested, Emmett sat up on the couch and grinned, his dimples making another appearance. Rose felt her knees give a little, _those fucking dimples. _

"Oh, really…" Emmett jumped up. Instead of grabbing her hand, he tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. Her waist over his broad shoulder made her tight dress ride up a bit.

"What the fuck, Emmett? Put me down!" Rose lightly punched at his back with her fists.

"No way!" Emmett playfully smacked her ass lightly, "It's on." He darted up to her room and tossed her onto the bed. Breathlessly, she fell back, her blonde hair fanning out around her.

Emmett stood over her; his large, wide muscular body heaving with lust was a bit intimidating for Rose. However, Rose wasn't one to be easily intimidated or dominated. She rose up to kneel on the bed, and grasped Emmett by the collar.

"You bet it's on." She smirked at him and ran her tongue over his lips before diving in. Emmett grunted in reaction. Grasping at her hips, he pushed her back on the bed and crawled over her tiny body.

Pushing the straps of her dress over her shoulders to expose her chest, he made an amazing discovery.

"Shit, you're braless," he groaned when Rose's perfectly sculpted breasts stared up at him. He traced his thumbs over both of her pink, pert nipples, making them harder beneath his touch. He leaned down to taste them each in his mouth. Rose arched against his touch, tugging at his short dark hair.

Pulling himself up for air and gazing deep into her hooded eyes, he cupped his hand around her head. She was beautiful, perfect in every way, and he knew she needed to be his.

He crawled up and pushed her dress up, revealing the fact she was not wearing panties either, but was as bare as the day she was born.

"Oh fuck, Rose," Emmett groaned as he dipped two thick fingers beneath her wet folds. "I will die the world's happiest man if you let me worship you the rest of my life." Rose felt herself begin to tumble as Emmett curled his fingers around her channel. The pressure he was building inside her was intensifying, bringing her closer to the brink.

Emmett grunted and bit at his lower lip as he concentrated on pleasuring Rose. His pants were starting to become painful from the erection he had been sporting all night, and the look on Rose's face wasn't helping. Her body was writhing and thrashing helplessly against the bed. Feeling her body ascending quickly, Rose needed more, now.

"Emmett! If you ever want to date me again, you better fucking fuck me like your life depended on it," she cried out, trying to hold back another orgasm.

"No," he replied, still working her over.

"No?" she scoffed back, stunned.

"No, I'm not going to fuck you. I'm going to show you that I'm the last person you'll ever want to love again," Emmett whispered softly into Rose's ear, right before doing just that.

****

Bella tiptoed down to the front door silently, as not to disturb her roommates. She had heard Rose and Emmett come upstairs, and knew they were still around. When Bella glanced at the sight of the food sprawled out on the coffee table and the TV still on, she wondered if they even made it out of the house. Turning the handle first and prying the door open, she pulled back the old wooden door to unveil a set of dark green eyes staring back at her.

"Bella," a deep husky voice called her name.

"What do you want, Edward?" she said in a loud whisper, looking back and forth out the front door. "Why are you calling me at this hour?"

"I had to see you," he said, stepping towards her just a bit. His face looked desperate and haggard. Still in his work clothes, his shirt was untucked and wrinkled, the top few buttons undone, showing a patch of hair Bella remembered all too well.

"You can see me at the office, Edward. You saw me today," she told him, and stepped back reaching to close the door. Edward was determined; he couldn't think, sleep or eat anymore.

"No, Bella. I can't. This—" he gestured between them, as she had done before. "—isn't working for me. There's something…here; I'm too far gone to stop it," he confessed to her, stepping through the door to meet her. He reached out and pushed her hand slowly away from the door, lacing her fingers with his.

It was for this very reason that Bella had been avoiding eye contact with Edward all week, every time he looked at her with eyes full of need, she was a goner.

"Edward, please…" Bella pleaded softly one last time before he leant down to capture her lips, and she was gone.

****

:) okay.. so this made rachel cry.. hopefully you are all okay. (sry rachel, hehe)

next few chaps are with the beta's, hopefully the updates will be more frequent. Thanks!

You know the drill.. review please! (or Nom for Eddie/Bellies, either one is fine by me! lol).


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Thanks to Rachelcullen77 and qjmom for beta'ing! :)

I do not own, SM does.

Ehhhh.. can't think of anything clever to say this time. So Enjoy!

*****

Edward awoke in the middle of the night, cold. Reaching out for Bella's warm body, he rolled over and nestled against her small form, and inhaled the sweet smell of her hair. Asleep, Bella wiggled her body against Edward and sighed. Feeling wide awake and alert, Edward glanced around her room. The city lights made the room glow eerily; the cool silence of the night was deafening. He lightly kissed Bella's neck, and snaked his arm around her, pulling her tighter against his body.

The brush of her backside against his member made him spring forth to life. He lay quietly in utter torture as his need for Bella was now obvious, and being unattended to. He grunted as the memories from the night before replayed in his head.

Edward had needed to see her badly last night. After a disastrous day because he met Jacob Black, he couldn't think straight. He had forgone after work drinks for his own pity party back at his apartment. After killing off the last of his remaining whiskey, Edward decided to go for a walk around the city to clear his head.

He really felt like he needed another drink, but knew Emmett was out with Rose. When his walk ended up leading him to Bella's street, that's when he had decided to text her. He knew it was late, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to clear the air, talk to her, fight for her.

When Bella had answered the door wearing only a thin white cami and boy shorts, Edward felt the world spin. She was clearly not wearing a bra; her hard nipples showing through the shirt. He had felt a twinge of victory when he had clasped her hand in his. Her body giving in before her mind, he had seen his window of opportunity and seized it.

Bella muttered to herself while she rested, making Edward curse the need for sleep. He really wanted to wake her up, but resisted the urge. Eventually, sleep overcame him too, and he slept the best he had all week.

****

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Bella! Wake up!" Alice pounded on the door. Bella shot up in bed, startled at her early wake-up call and flustered and confused at her surroundings for a moment.

"Bella!" Alice shook at the door handle trying to open it. "Why is your door locked? Let me in!" Edward groaned, stirring in his sleep at the noise.

"Just a minute, Alice!" Bella shouted and grabbed her shirt from the floor. She crawled over the bed to wake up Edward.

"Edward," she whispered, shaking his body. "Edward, wake up." His eyes cracked open, and focused on Bella's worried face.

"Bella, what's taking so long!?" Alice yelled.

"Just a minute," she shouted at the door again. She was desperately worried; Alice had no idea about her and Edward, nobody did.

Edward cast a glance at the door, his eyes widening with understanding.

"You need to hide," Bella whispered in a hushed, worried voice. Edward sprang from the bed, quickly pulling on a pair of boxers. Ushering him inside her closet, Bella threw the rest of his clothes in with him and tried to shut the door.

"Step back, I can't close it."

"I can't, there's too much crap in here," Edward whisper-shouted back. Shutting the closet as much as she could, Bella pulled on her bathrobe and wrenched her door open. Alice immediately burst through.

"Finally," she sighed. "What were you doing in here?"

"Um…" Bella tried to think of an excuse.

"Anyways, we need to get going to the gym. Only a few sessions left and then we need to go to the bridal store for the bridesmaid dress fitting. So you need to get ready! When will you be ready?"

Alice paced around the room, making her nervous as she did. Bella spotted one of Edward's socks on the floor by the bed, and tried to shove it out of view with her foot.

"Um…soon. Class isn't for a bit anyways, Alice."

"Well, there's just so much to do." She continued to pace around the room. "Have you talked to Rose yet? I wonder how things went. They ended up staying in when I left for Jasper's…" Alice paused for a moment, something distracting her. She shook her head and continued. "Anyways, I hope things went well. I really like Emmett. Hey, have you told Jacob about the party next week?"

"Um, yes," she replied quickly.

Bella was beginning to find her rambling tiresome, wanting her to leave.

"Well, I'm going to jump in the shower so we can get going," she told Alice.

"Oh! Sure no problem," Alice said a bit too quickly. "I'll let you do that alone then," she half laughed.

"Thanks," Bella said, closing the door behind her. When she had locked her bedroom door, Edward emerged from the closet.

"Wow. That Alice is a talker," he chuckled quietly. Holding his clothes in one hand, he was still in his boxers.

"You have no idea…" Bella rolled her eyes, and shrugged her bathrobe off her shoulders on the way to the bathroom.

She spun the handle of the shower so that hot water began to fall. Edward remained slightly stunned at what he was witnessing; did Bella want him to join her? He heard the steady beat of the water, his heart pounding just as quickly. He watched as another article of clothing fell across the doorway and onto a heap on the floor.

Edward cleared his throat and shifted; his erection was obvious in his boxer briefs. Covering herself with one hand, Bella poked her head around the corner.

"Are you coming?" she asked him. Little Edward twitched in response. He immediately dropped his boxers in place and walked into the bathroom. The steam from the shower had fogged up the glass already, ghosting the outline of Bella's slim curvy body.

He slowly pulled the glass door open, and stepped inside. Bella's long brown hair was slick and wet down her spine, the water running down her back to her small pert bottom. Edward felt his breath hitch when she turned around to meet him, her brown eyes glowing.

"Hey, now we can finally talk," she said as she began to lather up her hair.

_Talk?_

"What about?" Edward asked her seriously, and reached over to help her. "Turn around," he commanded, and began to massage her scalp.

"What about, Edward? How about the fact that you came by my house late last night after texting me like crazy, and now I don't know how to get you out of here without my roommates knowing."

"Turn, rinse." He moved Bella under the spray.

"So what if they know," he said. Bella looked up at him with pleading eyes, and something else he couldn't quite read.

"Edward, did we not discuss this the other day? I am not ready for them to know…anything."

"Okay fine...I can wait."

"Thank you," she whispered. Edward lathered up a loofah and began to wash Bella's shoulders.

"So what's this party thing Alice mentioned…" he asked her coolly, trying not to let jealousy show through in his tone of voice. Bella stilled his hand for a moment, and held onto the loofah, their hands scarcely touching.

"I'm sorry. I invited him the other day. Jasper's having a little pre-wedding party thing. Kind of like his bachelor party I suppose, but with all us girls." She started to return the favor of washing Edward. "We are going line dancing."

"Oh…can I come?" Bella arm fell to her side and she looked to Edward's soft eyes.

"Sure, I guess you can come with Emmett."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah, I assume Rose will invite him if their date went well, which from what I heard, I think it did," she explained as she walked around to wash his back.

"Okay. But you're going with Jacob?" he asked her, turning his head around towards her.

"Yes."

"You're still going to see him?" Edward asked, the truth in his voice coming through. Bella let out a long sigh.

"Yes...I am. I can't just renege on my commitments to someone, because you decide to be a midnight seducer," she explained harshly. "You're making this very difficult for me, Edward."

Edward spun around to face her. He cupped her face and drew her body against his. Startled, her breath sped up, and she looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. Edward leaned down, his mouth only centimeters away from hers as he spoke.

"I'm sorry…but Bella, I'm not going to play fair. The stakes may be high, but I'm all in," he whispered to her slowly, lips brushing before he scooped her up in his arms, and threw her against the cold tile wall, entering her as he did.

"Oh fuck you, Edward," Bella groaned with pleasure at his penetration.

"Not if I fuck you first." He smirked and thrust firmly into her again.

If Edward had to let her go again, he was going to take her like it was his last time, and he was going to show her why she needed him too. He gave himself over to her, pouring himself out, every thrust was desperate, needing, seeking, wanting. Bella bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out loud.

He felt her body shiver and tighten, cueing him that she was close. He sped up his motions, grinding his hips upward so that he was hitting her most sensitive spot.

"Edward, please," Bella cried into his shoulder, right before her body betrayed her. Edward still wasn't quite ready and thrust several more times into her as she rode out her orgasm, until he came and gave himself up.

He set Bella down on her feet, her face flushed and eyes glossed over.

"I need another shower." She cracked a sideways smile at Edward and stepped into the now cold stream of water. The water cascaded down the curves of her body. Edward stared in awe before he closed the distance, capturing her lips. The rush of water spilled beneath them, their bodies merging, becoming one, like the point of confluence.

Breaking the kiss to come up for air, Edward held her soft cheek in his hand, his eyes searching her face for reassurance. He felt like he was giving her over.

Turning off the shower, they dried off and got dressed. As Bella watched Edward button up yesterday's work clothes she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. He shot up a glance and gave her a questioning look.

"What?" he asked her with his crooked smile.

"Nothing... I just realized you have to do the walk of shame." She shook her head and chuckled, pulling on an old hoodie.

"Oh yeah?" He cocked his left eye brow and grabbed her by the waist and pecked kisses on her neck where she was most ticklish.

Trying not to laugh loudly, her body convulsed as Edward continued to nibble at her neck.

"Edward, please…" she begged him, and then froze when something caught her eye.

"Shit! Fuck! Shit!" She tore herself from Edward's arms and jumped across her bed to her nightstand, where a self incriminating piece of evidence lay for all to see.

Bella snatched up the ripped open condom wrapper, and held it up for Edward.

"What?" he asked her.

"Alice! Do you think Alice saw this?" she whispered at him loudly. He shrugged his shoulders unsure.

"I don't know," he told her. "I really couldn't see anything." Worried, Bella chewed at her finger nails.

"What time is it?" Bella glanced at the clock. "Crap, I have to go."

"Can I see you later?" Edward asked her kindly.

"I don't know…" Bella threw her body over the bed again, and grasped for her purse. She yanked out a set of keys and tossed them to Edward.

"Can you let yourself out when we leave the house?" she asked, her face still worried. "I'll just tell Alice I lost them, or forgot them at work. "

Edward tossed the keys lightly, examining the contents in his hands.

"Sure, I can do that," he replied.

"Okay, I have to go." She snatched up her things and threw her bag over her shoulder. Distracted and concerned that Alice had noticed the wrapper, Bella couldn't meet Edward's face. She stepped towards the door, before Edward grabbed her by the arm and gave her a firm, passionate kiss on the lips.

"It's going to be okay," he told her. Bella half smiled, unable to respond, but hoped he was right.

He watched as she closed the door behind her and left.

****

"Dark blue? Really?" Rose asked as she held up the bridesmaid dress over her figure.

"It's Prussian Blue! One of the oldest pigments and colors used by painters—"

"Blah, blah, blah... some guy died somewhere and did something interesting a long time ago. Professor Whitlock is really rubbing off on you." Rose rolled her eyes and she spun, examining the dress a bit more.

"What can I say? He gets excited when we watch the History Channel." Alice winked at them and smiled.

"TMI, Alice."

Alice giggled and fell against the love seat in the fitting room.

"Bella, are you going to come out?"

"Just one sec. Hold on," she told them. Bella looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't know why, but she had been fighting back tears all morning. Her heart was overwhelmed with the feelings she had for Edward, it was almost too much, a bit frightening to say the least. She rubbed her red eyes one last time, and sighed, trying to make herself presentable.

She yanked back the fitting room curtain and stepped out for Rose and Alice to see.

"Oh my God, Bella! You look so beautiful!" Alice screamed and jumped up and down.

Bella glanced sideways at her reflection in the three-way mirror. The dresses Alice had chosen were beautiful. She wore a strapless deep _Prussian _blue satin dress. Her creamy white skin and long brown hair was perfect for the color Alice had chosen.

"I love it! I'm so excited!" Alice giggled to herself.

"It is a nice dress. Try yours on too, Rose," Bella told her. She stomped off into the fitting room. Bella fell against the couch next to Alice.

"I can't believe you're getting married so soon." Bella put her arm around Alice and pulled her in for a side hug.

"I know! It's so crazy. Hey, when's my bachelorette party by the way?" Alice sat up and put her hands on her hips.

Bella chucked and eyed Rose, who stepped out of the fitting room just at that time.

"I didn't think you wanted one," she joked.

"Of course I do! Jasper doesn't get a bachelor party, but I want one!" Alice pleaded and laughed a bit.

"Hmm, I don't know," Bella teased Alice. "You look really hot in that dress, Rose."

Rose popped one hip out to the side and stuck her hand on her hip, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"I do, don't I?" she replied confidently as she posed in the mirror. Bella and Alice exchanged a look and broke into laughter.

"Hey, Rose. You never told us about your date with Emmmmettt…"Alice sang. Distracted by her own reflection, Rose pretended not to hear.

"Hm?"

"Your date, with Emmett! I came home this morning to find Jabba nibbling on left over Kung Pao chicken left out on the coffee table. You're welcome by the way for cleaning up your mess."

Rose stalked her way back to the fitting room. Bella stood to do the same. Only once she closed the curtain did she reply.

"It was nice, we watched a movie," she replied as she undressed. Bella heard her phone vibrate in her bag as Alice interrogated Rose.

"Uh huh…and what else?"

_I need to see you – E_

"He fucked my brains out," Rose said totally deadpan. Alice shrieked making Bella drop her phone to the ground, the battery popping out. She quickly grabbed it up and snapped it into place again. Pulling on her on her jeans, she threw back the curtain.

"You had sex?!" Bella exclaimed.

"Yeah, so what?" Rose was still trying to play cool, while Bella and Alice were getting overly worked up.

"Um… Hello? Spill. Tell us everything!" Alice grabbed Rose by the hand and pulled her onto the couch beside her. A thought crossed Bella's mind when she realized Emmett was in the house last night.

"When did Emmett leave?" Bella asked nonchalantly.

"Heck if I know, he was still passed out when I left with you guys," Rose smirked to them. "We had a pre-workout workout." Bella clutched her stomach in fear that Edward had run into Emmett.

She had been far too careless last night; Edward seemed to have that affect on her.

"So you really like him then?" Bella asked seriously. Rose bent over and grabbed her purse, setting it in her lap.

"Yeah, I think I do." She pulled out little Jabba from her handbag and placed a kiss on his mouth.

"He's proved his worth I think," she winked at them, and set the cat on her shoulder. Bella and Alice looked at each other in disbelief and then at Rose.

"You've had the cat with you the whole time?" Bella asked her. Focused on only her new little love, Rose didn't look up.

"Yeah, why?"

"Um…" Bella scoffed and raised her hands. "I don't even know what to say. You're carrying around a cat in your purse. "

"So?" Rose turned to face them. Jabba was content and already asleep in her arms. "Celebrities carry around their little dogs all the time. Besides, I didn't want to leave him home alone and he wanted to go shopping for accessories today."

Alice let out a small giggle and Rose gave her a dirty look.

"Okay then." Bella stood to her feet, finishing a hopeless conversation. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Alice remarked.

The girls left the boutique and headed out. Rose made them stop several times along the way at a few doggie boutiques at which Rose purchased a diamond studded collar, small carrying bag, food dishes, and few cutie little outfits.

"You do realize this is all for a dog right?" Bella asked her again as she held up an "I'm a little Bitch" t-shirt.

"So what? If I train Jabba now, he'll learn to love it." She smiled and grabbed the shirt from Bella, adding it too her pile at the checkout counter. Alice shrugged her shoulders at Bella as if to say, she's got a point.

When they finished up their long day of shopping, the girls were craving Mexican food and margaritas. They stopped off on the way home to their favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican place and stuffed themselves on several pitchers of strawberry margaritas, tacos, chips and salsa.

Feeling good and tipsy by the time they finally reached home, Bella stumbled up to her bedroom and flung her bags onto her lounge chair. She tore off all her clothes and crawled into bed exhausted from a long day and fell asleep immediately.

****

Bella's eyes shot open in the middle of the night when she sensed someone watching her as she slept. Awake, she rolled over quickly, whipping her arm out to protect herself, and smacked something hard.

"Ow!" a voice cried. Bella sat up in bed, clutching her sheet cover herself.

"Edward! What the fuck are you doing here?" She glanced sideways at the clock. 2:23 AM.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. "It's just you never returned any of my texts and I was starting to get worried."

"Texts?" Bella racked her brain, and then she remembered. Grabbing her phone from her purse beside her bed, she finally turned it back on. A flood of texts from Edward started buzzing, one after the other.

_Are you mad?_

_Did Alice find out?_

_Why aren't you writing back?_

_Are you okay? I'm starting to get worried._

_I'm coming over._

Bella set her phone down on her night table and looked up at Edward.

"Oh, sorry. I dropped it and I guess I never turned it back on." She glanced at it as more texts came flooding in, lighting up the screen.

"How did you get in?" Bella asked him, still holding up the sheet with one hand to cover herself.

"Um… the keys you gave me," he replied and held out her keys in the palm of his hand. She slowly reached out and grabbed them from him.

"You know that's super creepy right?" She raised an eyebrow at him. He looked down at her with his brooding eyes and pursed his lips.

"I know. I…I just wanted to check up on you," he confessed. He leaned across her body, his arms on either side of her. Bella's breathing was still heavy from being startled.

"Oh…I'm fine," she said slowly. Edward's lips were dangerously close to hers. He glanced down to her small form, and placed his hand atop the one holding up her sheet.

"Are you naked under there?"

"Um…yes," she replied and blushed.

"Fuck, Bella, please let me see you," he told her as he pushed her hand slowly to the side, making the sheet fall to her waist, exposing her breasts. Edward lightly grazed his hand over under the swell of her breast, tracing the outlines of her curves. He motioned to her to lean back against the pillows; the sheet hung low on her hips. Edward crawled over her body and bent over her. With his lips, he felt her, dragging them slowly all over her body. He paused at her navel and dipped his tongue in and twirled it around the outside. He slowly made his way down to her hips and started to place wet kisses at her hip bones, swirling his hot tongue on her skin.

Bella felt her need grow between her legs; Edward was too much, a sex god. A devious thought crossed Bella's mind and she smirked.

"Wait," she whispered to Edward, before he pushed the sheet the rest of the way down. He glanced up to her, his lips swollen and full. "If you want to see me, then I want to see you. All of you. I want to see your body straining in need for mine," Bella commanded him.

Eager to comply with her orders, Edward stepped back from the bed and slowly and wordlessly began to unbutton his shirt. Bella held her breath as he removed it, exposing his well sculpted torso. He smirked at her as he pulled at his belt, whipping it through the loops of his pants. He then moved to undo his pant buttons. Finally he pushed them down and stood erect in a pair of red boxer briefs.

He began to move back onto the bed, when Bella held up her hand.

"I said, all of you." She looked up at him with dark lustful eyes. Edward chuckled and tucked his thumbs beneath the elastic waist band of his briefs. Slowly and torturously he pushed them lower on his hips, exposing the end of his happy trail. Bella groaned; he was teasing her and she didn't like it. Frustrated, she sat up quickly and crawled across the bed towards him to shove them down herself.

"Eager are we?" Edward chuckled when she'd depantsed him. Bella found herself face to…face with Edward's throbbing cock. He reached down and ran his hands through her hair.

"This is what you do to me… all the time, Bella," he told her, his cock straining to be touched. Bella reached out and wrapped her hand around him, making Edward groan.

"Shit, Bella, this is supposed to be about you," he stammered as she began to glide her hand up and down his length.

"I want to…" she said, her eyes focused on the prize. She leaned forward and licked the tip of his head with her tongue. Edward grunted and threaded his hands through his hair. He looked down at Bella who was on all fours on her bed; he could hardly contain himself as he watched himself disappear between her lips, moving in and out. He felt himself ascending to his climax and lightly grasped at Bella's hair, motioning her to stop.

"Bella, please stop," he begged her, but she kept going, picking up the pace.

"I said—" He pushed her playfully back, so she fell against the bed. He grasped her hips, and pulled her towards him. "—stop," he grunted as he thrust into her. Bella arched her back and cried out.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," Edward called out her name repeatedly. He pulled her legs around his waist, and leaned over her body, tasting and nibbling at her neck. He felt himself close and reached between them to work over her most sensitive spot. He circled her clit between his two fingers until he felt her body go ridged and spasm beneath him, milking him at the same time.

Edward collapsed against her figure and sighed. Wrapping her arms around his body, Bella pulled him tightly against her body.

"So, you want to stay the night then?" she whispered quietly into his ear. Out of breath, he nodded his head against her neck and pressed a firm kiss over her racing pulse.

"Yes, please." He pulled Bella up next to him and tucked them beneath the blankets. Exhausted it was only moments later that Bella drifted off to sleep in his arms, Edward quickly following, wearing a wide grin across his face. He had Bella exactly where he wanted her, in his arms.

****

Well, if you haven't noticed, the chapters are getting a bit smuttier (finally, right?) but I did warn you in the summary. haha.

Please review, and mayyybe i'll add in a outtake i was considering for the next chap . :) Hmmm.

Thanks lovelies!

xoxo-DM


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks to Rachelcullen77 and qjmom for beta'ing.

Thank you to my loyal readers and reviews!! i heart you guys so much :)you know who you are. I know I've been an epic fail as far as replying to reviews lately, but i promise I read them all, and get very excited when my inbox lights up. I've been working on like 3 different stories, and beta'ing. So this week has been a bit crazy. I apologize. BUT at least we got another update! yes?

I don't own a lick of twilight, but i'd like to lick Edward.

****

Brightness streamed into the small blue room; Edward blinked his eyes furiously in protest. When he was finally able to wrench them open, he awoke to find a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at him.

"Oh, hello there." He reached over to pet the small white cat. Jabba had been watching him sleep from the void where Bella had been last night. He scooped up the cat with one hand and placed him on his lap as he sat up.

He scanned the room for Bella, but she was nowhere to be found. Seeing that the door had been ajar, Edward pulled on his pants and holding Jabba, he ventured downstairs.

With each step he took, the aroma of freshly made pancakes flooded his senses, making his stomach rumble.

"You smell that, cat?" Edward asked the kitten, who responded with a small mew.

He cautiously stalked his way into the kitchen where he found her. She was wearing tiny cotton boy shorts that made her ass hang out ever so slightly, topped with a tight cami under a small apron. Bella's back was turned to Edward, and she was humming to herself as she flipped pancakes. A grin slowly crossed Edward's face and he quietly set down the cat. Seizing the moment, he snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her neck.

Beyond startled, Bella jumped when she felt his touch.

"Morning." He nuzzled into her neck.

"God you scared me, Edward," Bella panted.

"Sorry, love, mmm what are you making?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder for a better look.

"Blueberry pancakes," she replied, flipping over the next batch.

"Looks great, I'm starving. Can I help with anything?" he asked her, glancing around the room. "Hey, where are your roommates? I was surprised you let me out of your room during daylight." He winked at her.

Bella cracked a smile, and pushed the hair out of her face with the back of her hand.

"Very funny, they are out. Jasper just decided last minute to add Emmett to the wedding party," she told him.

"Oh?" He opened the fridge and pulled out some orange juice and almond milk. "Who drinks this crap?" he asked her, holding up the box.

"Me, and it's good for you!" Bella laughed. Edward shrugged his shoulders and shoved it back into the fridge.

"Why don't you make some coffee," Bella suggested. "There's stuff in that cabinet right there." Edward's eyes looked where she was pointing and selected a medium breakfast blend, and filled up the coffee maker.

Within minutes, Bella had prepared a nice sized stack of pancakes and the coffee had brewed, filling the kitchen with the rich aroma.

She set the kitchen table with plates and utensils, adding syrup and butter. Edward grinned as he sat next to Bella and filled up his plate with the pancakes, pouring syrup all over the top. Bella daintily pierced one with her fork and lightly set it on her plate, evenly spreading a thin layer of butter on top of it. Edward watched her as she chewed. Her hair was all messy and thoroughly sexed up. He chuckled at himself and shook his head.

"You know…I could get used to this," he told her with a crooked grin.

"Get used to what exactly? Sneaking into my house in the middle of the night?" She shot him a look from beneath her lashes. "I still haven't forgiven you for that, even if you _did_ make up for it later," she teased him, poking at her pancake.

"Well, I could get used to that," he chuckled lightly, "but, I was referring to this…having breakfast with you every morning," he said seriously. Bella felt her cheeks turning red, and pushed her food around her plate, unsure how to answer. She heardher phone buzz on the table, and glanced over to see who was calling her. She felt her stomach drop a little when she saw the caller and discretely tried to silence it.

"You can answer that," Edward told her.

"It's okay, I'll get it later," she muttered. Curious, Edward studied her face, which was now beat red.

"Who was that?" he asked her politely.

"Um…Jacob," she replied, not meeting his gaze. Edward set down his fork full of pancakes and sighed.

"Oh?" He arched his eyebrows up.

"Edward…please," she pleaded, not wanting to go there.

"So, how come…How come _he _gets to take you out?" he asked, trying to hide the strain in his voice. Bella glanced quickly up at him for a moment before looking away.

"Because…Because--"

"Because he's famous?"

"Ah, no! Hardly. What is happening between us has nothing to do with him, and you know that. This is about us and whatever 'us' is. I'm…just not ready for people to know. I told you that," Bella groaned. Edward sulked pushing his food around his plate.

"I know…." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Besides, you want to point the finger at someone, point it at yourself," Bella continued. Stunned, Edward whipped his head up.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know… what Jessica and all them say about you?" She shook her head. "Even on my first day of work I heard about the infamous Edward Cullen." All the blood rushed from Edward's head making him pale and dizzy. He had hoped that all his past discretions would have been expunged from his record by now.

"I…uh…" Bella held up her hand for him to stop.

"I don't know that I want all the gory details, but please understand that whatever happened with you and… whomever, I don't want the same sort of rumors following me around," she finished.

"Fair enough, I understand," he told her. He knew now if he wanted a future with Bella he'd have to come clean.

They quietly finished their breakfast. Edward was unsure of himself, of how to proceed at this point. Hell, he'd been off his game with Bella since day one, everything was new territory. Bella stood up quickly when she was done, snatching Edward's plate from him along with hers.

"Are you done? Great," she said quickly and stomped over to the sink. He sat glued to his seat as he watched her furiously scrub at the dish. Hastily, she shoved them in the dishwasher and grabbed the rest of the items from the table to put them away. In her haste, Bella fumbled and ended up dropping the syrup, splattering it all over herself, the floors, and the fridge.

"SHIT!" she cried, about two seconds from bursting into tears. Edward snapped to attention and ran over to her aid quickly. He grabbed a towel and ran it under a stream of warm water and began to wipe away at the mess.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm always such a klutz when I'm around you," she confessed, holding back the tears in her voice. Edward chuckled as he wiped up syrup from the floor.

"Trust me, I know what you mean," he told her as he stood to his feet, standing face to face with Bella. Her face was pained; Edward saw the confusion in her eyes. He glanced down to her hand, covered in the sticky mess. Gently, he grasped her wrist and brought her middle finger to his lips.

"I'm still hungry," he said softly. He wrapped his lips around her finger, and sucked at the sweet syrup. Bella felt her knees buckle at the sensation; her head spun when he cleaned the finger and continued onto the next. She forgot everything except the feel of Edward's hot tongue swirling around her digits. When he had thoroughly licked all the syrup from her hand, Edward shot her a brooding look and smirked.

"I think you have some right…here," he whispered softly as he pushed her hair back and began to suck on her neck. Edward loved kissing and teasing her neck, where she was most sensitive. He loved that he was learning her body, her needs, what made Bella come undone.

If sucking on her fingers had done her in, Bella had now been shoved over the cliff, her stomach light from the free fall. Feeling as though she couldn't possibly take anymore stimulation, Bella turned her head to the side, capturing Edward's lips with hers, full of hunger and need.

Roughly grasping at her round bottom, Edward pulled her up into his arms. Bella followed, naturally wrapping her legs around his waist. She felt his need and ground herself against his erection. Edward knew he'd need to relocate, fast, or he'd have her right there in the kitchen.

"You are one sticky mess and in need of a bath," he told her between kisses.

"Oh yeah?" She arched an eyebrow, sensing his mischievousness.

"Yes," he whispered against her lips, carrying her up the stairs in his arms. Instead of taking her to the bathroom, he set her down against the bed. He wrenched her cami over her head so she was only wearing her tiny boy shorts. Edward climbed over her small body and spied a few drops of syrup against her chest. He leaned his head down and lapped at the sweet taste of Bella mixed with maple. He dragged his tongue across her chest and slurped up the other droplets.

"Mmm…Bella," he muttered against her chest. The sensation of Edward's tongue against her body sent a rush of liquid to pool between her thighs.

"Edward," she whispered hoarsely. "My…bath?"

"I'm giving you one," he informed her, and dragged his tongue under the curve of her breast. "With my tongue," he finished and outlined her areola with the tip of his tongue before sucking at the sweet pink nipple, pointing with need at him. He followed the curve of her stomach further down, until he was nestled between her thighs. He pulled gently and removed the last layer separating them, spreading her wide to see the glistening flesh before him.

"Hmmm."

"What?" she asked in a hoarse whisper. The ache she was feeling was too much, and needed to be pacified. He leaned forward, his lips grazing hers.

"You need to be cleaned…right here," he informed her and dove in, lapping at the sweet nectar her body gave him. Bella's body went ridged with pleasure; she grasped firmly at his bronzed hair, pulling him deeper.

He moved his tongue over her clit and pressed firmly, circling it over her sweet bud. Moving his two fingers, he plunged in and out of her channel, quickening and then slowing down his pace, only speeding up when he felt her body shake beneath him. Bella cried out, signaling her impending orgasm. Edward brought her down slowly, her body shivering as she rode out the aftershocks.

Completely out of breath, she propped herself up on her elbows and smirked at Edward.

"Your turn."

****

"Come on out, Emmett!" Alice giggled, and grasped Rosalie's hand, who just rolled her eyes.

Right on cue, the dressing room curtain flew back, revealing an absence of Emmett. Then, ever so slowly, he turned the corner and stepped out from the shadow. Donned in his tux with Prussian blue trimming that matched his eyes, Emmett was doing his best Timothy Dalton impression from "License to Kill".

"The name's McCarty, Emmett McCarty," he said in a serious tone. Alice bit her lip, trying to stifle a laugh as he strode over to Rose and stood before her.

"You want to be my Bond girl?" he teased her.

"Oh God!" Rose rolled her eyes and the room burst into laughter, herself included. Alice bounced to her feet and began to examine the fit of the suit.

"You look great, Emmett, doesn't he, Rose?" Alice teased her. Emmett turned to gaze unashamedly at Rose who was pretending to be uninterested and examining her manicure. He liked what he could do to her. As he studied her freely, he watched as her body twitched under his gaze and he smirked to himself. The tables were beginning to turn.

"Looks great." She managed a glance up to Emmett who locked eyes with her. In that split second he had cracked his sideways grin, and chipped away at the cool exterior that Rose was desperately trying to cling to.

"Okay, go back and change. Jasper and I will go make the arrangements." Alice broke Emmett away and shoved him towards the fitting room. When Emmett finally emerged in his tight grey t-shirt and jeans, Alice and Jasper were ready to go.

Not wanting or ready to depart from Rose quiet yet, Emmett glanced at his cell phone to check the time. Rubbing his stomach as they stepped out into the cool fall air, he cracked at smile at his friends.

"So, who's hungry for lunch?"

Jasper and Alice quickly agreed, and Rose nodded in reply as well; she could probably eat something.

"Oh, there's a cute little Austrian Bakery right up here!" Alice giggled and pitter pattered ahead of them a few yards.

"Come on guys!" She waved at them and Jasper did a slight jog to catch up to her, leaving Emmett and Rose behind, still strolling at the same steady pace.

In a rare moment of privacy, Rose decided to bring up something that had been irking her for a few days now. Alice hadn't noticed anything between Bella and Edward, but maybe Emmett knew what was going on.

"So what's up with that Cullen guy?" she asked causally.

"Edward?" Emmett perked up, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah…what's his deal?"

"Why, you like him?" Emmett teased her as they walked side by side.

"Hardly. No…I thought I just… I don't know. I thought I noticed something at the game between him and Bella. Alice said she didn't, so I could be wrong."

"Great…" he sighed.

"What is it?" Rose stopped on the sidewalk and turned to face him.

"Uhh..." He shifted and ran a hand through his short dark hair. "I don't know if I should say anything, Edward's my boy and Bella's great and all…" Rose stared him down, urging him to continue. "…But she needs to stay away from him, if you know what I mean."

"No, I don't. Please tell," she commanded him. Emmett rocked uncomfortably back and forth, as he wrestled with the idea of betraying his best friend, but felt Rose had a right to know for the sake of Bella and the company for that matter.

"Look, Edward, well he's a lot better now. But before… before, he had an affair with one of the partner's wives, Aro. Edward and Tanya were quite the scandal. Aro ended up leaving his wife and the company and started his own firm, Volterra. Carlisle was compassionate enough not to let Edward go, and ended up sending him to Seattle instead until all the dust had settled. He had been out there for the last year or so until recently," Emmett told her in one breath and let out a long sigh.

"Wow…I had no idea," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. Crossing her arms across her chest, she pondered the information she had just received.

"Erm…yah. Please don't mention any of this to Bella. I know they are working together on a project. I just…well, keep an eye on her," he told her.

"Hey! You two! What happened?" Alice shot her head out of the bakery and waved them over.

"Come on, let's go eat!" Emmett grinned widely before grabbing Rosalie's hand and taking off towards the restaurant.

*****

Bella was in deep shit, or hot water, up a creek without a paddle, or any other idiom you could think of. She had finally fallen into a nice schedule at work. She'd get up, eat some breakfast, catch the train, work a full day, come home, visit with her roommates, and go to bed. The only thing was, she hadn't anticipated working in a night shift as well. After she would go to bed, Edward would come by around 1 AM, they'd have some….well some, fall asleep, and then he'd leave early enough not to run into her roommates. Bella would usually fall back asleep for an hour before heading out to work.

The first few times she had feebly protested him coming over, but after a while, she just gave into the fact that Edward wasn't planning on going anywhere, not that she really minded. She just hadn't exactly planned on him being part of her normal work week schedule.

With her head rested in her hand, Bella reminisced about last night's romp as she lifelessly pushed bits of salad around her plate. She felt the familiar tingling sensation that started in her toes and crept all the way up to the roots of her hair; Edward ignited every sensation in her body. She shuddered when she remembered what he had done with his tongue, and rubbed her thighs together in attempt to suppress the need, but it only made it worse.

She left out a soft groan when she remembered his hot breath tickling her neck as he buried himself deep within her, connecting their bodies with a heavy need. It had been more than she could handle; she dropped the fork to her plate; the tickling breath on her neck had become too much. She needed a release, now, or she'd never be able to concentrate.

Bella turned in her chair, and was startled to find a face right next to hers, the source of her sexual frustration smirking just inches away. Edward leaned over slowly, his lips brushing against her ear.

"You seem… distracted today, Miss Swan." Bella gripped at the fabric of her work chair for support. The husky whispers in her ear, actually made her feel like swooning.

"I…I have a lot on my mind," she managed to reply.

"Mmmm…" Edward buzzed in her ear, making her shudder. He glanced down her front, taking an obvious peek down her blouse from his angle. "Is that so? Need help clearing your head?"

"Edward…" Bella hissed out, loosening her death grip on the chair. "Didn't we talk about this?"

"I think I recall some sort of conversation," he teased her. He couldn't help himself; Bella had been looking too delicious all week. He hated leaving her every morning and sneaking off to his apartment. It took all of his strength to unwrap her naked body from his and leave her. However, after a cold shower and a pipe cleaning, he felt better. That is until Bella would stroll into the office in the damn sexiest outfits he had ever seen. Every day, she had tortured him into oblivion and he would count the hours and minutes before he could sneak back over.

Today, Bella had worn a tight fitted shirt-dress that crossed over the front with a belt. It accented every curve of her figure, but it was the stockings that she wore that did him in. Sheer, nude at first glance, but then, there was a thin black line that went from Bella's ankle, up the back of her leg and tucked under the hem of her dress. Edward had longed to run his hands, and tongue, up that line ever since he had first glanced at it.

"Perhaps we should take this conversation into my office?" he teased her lightly, and quickly flicked her ear with his tongue, before anyone would notice. Bella jerked in her seat at the sensation.

"Edward!" she hissed at him again and stood to her feet. "Perhaps we should!" Bella stomped off over to the private office, Edward following shortly behind on her heels. He knew Bella was pissed, but didn't really care; she was cute when she got worked up. He chuckled to himself and closed the door and the curtain to his office.

Feeling cross, Bella spun around on heel and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the hell, Edward?" she demanded, stomping her foot.

"What?" he asked dumbly, trying to hold back a smile.

"You…" she paused and lowered her voice "…you licked my ear!" Edward shrugged his shoulders and walked around his desk to join her.

"So? It didn't seem to bother you last night…" he said in a low voice. He grabbed Bella by the hips, and pulled her body against his, quickly diving in to work over the soft flesh of her earlobe. Surprised, Bella lost her footing and leaned against his hard chest to balance herself.

"Ughnn…"Bella grunted; the tension that had been building between her thighs was exponentially increasing as Edward twirled and sucked at her ear and neck.

"Edward…" She feebly tried to push against his chest, but was quickly thwarted as Edward wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He ran his hands up and down the curve of her back, and down to her backside, toward the hem of her dress.

He broke away from her neck and captured her lips with his. Feeling greedy, his hand roamed beneath her dress, desperately wanting to explore more. He slowly traced his fingers up the back of her leg, until he reached the end of her thigh-high. Curious, he continued on, feeling and groping at the buckles of a garter belt.

"Oh fuck," he muttered into her lips at his discovery. Excited, he ran both of his hands up the back side of her legs quickly to cup Bella's bare ass. Stunned he took a small step back.

"You're wearing stockings, a garter belt and no panties?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "You little tease." Bella squealed a little as he picked her up and spun her around to place her on the edge of his desk. With a sense of urgency and hunger Edward pushed her dress up and revealed her glistening flesh to him. Dropping to his knees faster than a sinner at church, Edward shoved Bella's legs apart and ran his finger lightly over her wet core. Bella had lost her mind and her senses at this point, and gave them completely over to Edward.

Holding his hand steadily in front of her entrance, Edward studied the sight before him with intensity. He glanced up at Bella, and locked eyes with her as he slowly pushed his two fingers inside her channel. Suppressing the urge to cry out, Bella bit down on her lower lip drawing a little blood. Starting off slow, Edward thrust his fingers in and out of her, glancing back and forth between her aching face and his own fingers disappearing into her flesh. Picking up the pace, he felt Bella's lower body begin to stiffen and leaned down to taste the sweet bud of her nectar.

Bella grasped at his bronzed hair, pulling him closer to her core as she felt herself ascend.

"Edward, I need…" Bella whispered, pulling him up. Knowing exactly what Bella wanted, Edward quickly began to work at his belt, desperate to let his aching erection free.

"Yo! Edward!" Emmett knocked loudly on his door. Edward and Bella froze, both of their hearts dropping as they stared at each other, unmoving.

"Just a sec, Emmett!" Edward called. Bella quickly stood to her feet, and straightened her skirt.

"Under the desk," Edward whispered.

"Huh?"

"Get under my desk!" he told her quickly, helping her as he held up his pants. He sat down quickly, trying to work at his belt when Emmett came busting into the room.

"What's going on brother?" he asked in a friendly tone, and plopped on to the couch.

"Uhh… not much. Conference calls," Edward stuttered, still trying to discreetly work at his pants. Bella watched him struggle from under the desk as he spoke with Emmett. A sly grin crossed her face as she swatted his hands out of the way. She felt Edward shift in his seat as she carefully removed his erection from his boxers. Teasing him as he has done to her, she licked her palm and slowly worked him up and down.

"Cool. Hey, so you still coming tonight?" Emmett asked him as laid back on the couch, getting more comfortable.

Adding another hand to the mix, Bella picked up the pace.

"Ugh!" Edward fell forward to his desk, his head in his hands at Bella's secret actions. "Ahh…um. Yeah, I'm still going. What time again?"

"I think around eight or so. I'll double check with Rose. Oh man, I can't wait to go. Hey, so I heard Jacob is going to be there too. He seems like a cool guy," Emmett commented.

Edward tried to contain a growl at the mention of Jacob being there again. Sensing his anger, Bella quickly reacted by swirling the tip of her tongue around the head of Edward's member, and gently blew softly against it.

"Ugh!" Edward jerked his knee and hit the desk when Bella's lips made contact again. She hesitated for a moment at the tip, before taking him completely in her mouth.

"Dude, are you alright?" Emmett asked him, sitting up.

"Uhh…ugf..yeah," Edward panted out, squirming in his chair. Bella held back a laugh at his reactions, she had him literally in the palm of her hand, and she was enjoying the pay back.

"Are you sure?" Emmett asked him suspiciously.

"Fine. I just had a bad lunch, gas pains," Edward lied, and let out a sigh. Bella yanked hard on his dick with her hand at his comment, making a bit of his need seep out. She quickly lapped it up with her tongue.

"Dude, gross. I'm outta here then, don't want to stick around for that," Emmett bellowed out a laugh and stood to his feet. "I'll text you later, dude." He walked widely around Edward's desk so as to avoid any unwanted smells and opened the door.

"You mind locking that? I have another conference call," Edward added right before he left.

"Not a problem," Emmett replied and clicked the lock before shutting it behind him. Edward watched until the door was completely secure.

"Fuck, Bella." He gently pushed his seat back, and helped her out from under the desk. His eyes were dark, hungry, and lethal. Reaching into his pocket faster than a gunslinger, he stared Bella down as he ripped open a condom wrapper with his teeth and placed his weapon in safety mode.

He picked Bella up by the hips and placed her back on the desk. She let out a small yelp when he hastily shoved her skirt back over her things, revealing the garter belt, stockings, and dripping core.

"Now, where was I?" he asked her as he pushed slowly into her channel. Bella wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him tighter.

"Right here," she replied softly, grinding her hips in need against his pelvis. The circular motion she was making was sending Edward quickly to the brink. Reaching to the union between them, he circled her bud, working in and out of her slick folds. The sensation of almost being caught and Edward's constant need for her body, sent Bella skyrocketing. She leaned back on her elbows against the desk to take in the view of Edward's thick member disappearing in and out of her own body. The image of him plunging repeatedly into her was more than she could take.

"Please, Edward, faster," she whispered. Edward nodded and replied by fucking her at a rapid pace, ascending them to a much needed release. Bella felt her body begin to quake and biting her lip, tossed her head back. Edward dug his fingertips hard into her hips as he beat his flesh against hers. The moment he slipped his flesh into hers, Edward had been lost, he always was with Bella. She had an unknown control over him that he had no will or want to fight. He felt her muscles contract around him, begging his release; he left himself go.

Panting heavily, Bella was stunned. How had she gone from berating Edward to fucking him?

"Well then, shall we get back to work?" Bella asked coldly, while he was still inside her.

Edward back up slowly and removed his semi from her body. Bella twinged slightly at his absence, but she needed to be firm with him, and not let a slip up like this happen again. Standing, she straightened her skirt as Edward fixed his pants.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you tonight then," she said softly as she moved on shaky legs towards the door. Edward wore a look of pleading on his face; she broke inside every time she saw it. She turned her head away and exited quickly.

"Oh you sure as fucking will," Edward replied to the empty room.

****

Edward shrugged on a plaid button down shirt, completely the urban cowboy look; it wasn't too casual, or too dressy, it was just right. He looked himself over in the mirror, assessing his appearance, and ran his hand across his scruff; he had a pair of jeans slung low on his hips, paired with some boots. He had left an extra button open; he knew how much Bella loved the hollow in his neck that dipped down and led to his chest. He smirked as he felt himself get hard over the memory of last night's visit, when she had been sucking on that very spot.

Their times together had been beautiful, exciting, and playful all at the same time. Edward never knew that it was possible to have, well fun, whilst having sex. Bella, she affected him in a way he hadn't known before. Sex had been purely for the sake of self satisfaction, he had known what he wanted, and didn't have any trouble usually getting it. However, when it came to Bella, Edward wanted to give, give her everything. He no longer had the strength to stay away from her, and tonight with Jacob, this was his chance to prove that he was the only one she should be with.

Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself when he thought of sending Bella a text. He contemplated resisting for about a half a second, before he snatched up his blackberry from the side table on his way out the door.

_Want to save a horse and ride a cowboy tonight? –E_

He laughed at his own cheesy joke as he made his way to the party. Just like Bella had said, he had just casually mentioned his weekend plans to Emmett, and before he knew it, he had gotten himself an invite to Coyote Ugly.

*****

"Bella, what is _that?"_ Alice asked pointing to what Bella had been wearing; jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

"It's my outfit," she replied glancing down at her clothes. Rose turned around and snorted at Bella's appearance.

"No, it is not. Now sit down," Alice commanded Bella, getting her to come into the bathroom where she and Rose had been getting ready. Having the master bathroom, the girls would usually come together in her bathroom to get ready for a girl's night out.

Sighing, she crossed the room, and took at seat the vanity. Alice hunched over behind her and stared Bella down from the mirror in front of them both.

"In all our years of knowing each other, have I taught you nothing?" Alice asked in a very stern voice. Bella slouched down in the chair slightly, and Alice continued to interrogate her. Rose rolled her eyes as she filed her nails.

"Is tonight not an event in which you will be seen by a certain man?"

"_Edward?"_ Bella asked dumbly. Rose's head shot up, and narrowing her eyes at Bella, was now paying closer attention to the situation.

"No! Not your boss dummy, Jacob!" Alice all but smacked her upside the head.

"Look, there are going to be other girls there, HOT girls, and you, both of you," she pointed to Rose and Bella "need to be the hottest slices of pie these gentlemen have ever seen."

"Please, I'm fine. It's this one you need to worry about," Rose snorted.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Bella shouted at them both and stood to her feet, shoving back the chair and forcing Alice to step back. Taking a moment and a deep breath before she continued, Alice did have a point. Edward would be there too. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out discreetly.

_Want to save a horse and ride a cowboy tonight? –E_

Bella tried to hide her blush, and shoved the phone back in her pocket.

"Fine…" She tossed up her hands in defeat. "…make me fucking hot." Edward had been torturing her all week long, it was payback time.

"Yes!" Alice giggled. "These boys are never going to know what hit them."

*****

Whew! Thanks for reading my darlings...and if you have a chance. I'm dabbling with a new fic, called Beautiful Tyrant! Fiend Angelical! It's a bit different, darker,and more seductive...hehe. The prologue is posted, check it out, and let me know what you think.

Also, be sure to check out the "8 days of Cullen" starting on Dec 1th for Hanukkah! Each day will be a lovely Jewishward one-shot for Hanukkah by many lovely authors. Stories will be posted on the C2 on my profile page.

One more note before you review.. check out the gangsterward-roaring twenties contest. We are now accepting entries.

Okay review please!!! xoxo Dark Moon


	16. Chapter 16

Wow.... feels like it's been a while since I updated! Probably cuz it has... I do apologize for the delay and promise that is shant happen again! In all honesty, I was crazzyy busy with work right up until Christmas Eve. 'tis the truth! I also had a few little side projects that needed my immediate attention *cough* 8 days of Cullen *cough* beautiful tyrant! Oh did I just pimp myself out? oh well.. haha.

Anyways! thanks to the lovely beta's of mine. As always, I do NOT own twilight.

annnd if you want to hear any of the song's... I'll have links at the end of the chapter. :P

* * *

Edward hesitated just a brief moment before he shoved open the door to Coyote Ugly. He scanned the room, looking for the other party guests. However, the mass of bodies that filled the bar made it difficult. Elbowing his way through the crowd, he noticed a large gathering of people around the end of the bar. They were chanting, "Go, Go, Go!" and amongst the "chantees" was the very distinguishable booming voice of Emmett. Edward managed to maneuver his way around towards that end of the bar to catch a glimpse of Jasper doing a body shot off of his fiancé's stomach.

The crowd erupted into hoots and hollers when Jasper completed his task victorious with a wide grin across his face. Joining the outskirts of the circle, Edward watched as Rosalie voluntarily lay down on the bar before Emmett, and placed a lime between her teeth.

"Go Emmett!" Jasper began to chant, the rest of the crowd joining in loudly. Momentarily distracted, Edward glanced around him in search of Bella. She had to be here somewhere.

"Bella! You're next!" he heard Alice shout, her voice wavering from the influence of alcohol.

"No!" her tiny voice protested. Edward watched as Bella was shoved to the middle of the circle with a smirking Jacob hot on her heels. _No! _Edward thought in protest.

Bella caught his eye for a brief moment, and grimaced before looking away. Clenching his fists into tight balls, Edward watched as Bella was held down by her friends on the bar.

"Bella! Bella!" the crowd began to chant. _No! No! No! _Edward screamed in his mind. Bella was his… that was his stomach that he lapped up maple syrup from, her lips that he tasted. Edward roughly shoved a few people out of his way, and moved towards the center of the group.

"Eddie! You made it!" Emmett called him over, and wrapped his arm around him. "Dude, we're doing body shots!" He grinned at him like the Cheshire cat.

"I can see that…" he said through gritted teeth, breathing heavily through his nostrils. Bella turned her head sideways and caught Edward's eyes, giving him a pleading look, begging him for forgiveness. She wrenched her head back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to focus on something else.

When she felt Jacob's hot wet tongue against her stomach, drinking up the liquor that was spilled forth, she cursed her friends. Had they known how painful this was for her, for Edward…

Wincing, she tried to hold back a single tear that begged to drop as Jacob bit down on the lime that was held between her teeth.

And it was over.

The bar erupted into cheers. With a wide grin on his face, Jacob offered out his hand to help Bella sit up.

"My turn," a cold voice spoke from behind Jacob. Bella shot a glance around the large wall of muscle to see Edward's brooding eyes glaring down at her.

The cold stare that Edward gave Bella made her shiver as she lay back down on the bar. Gracefully, Jacob moved aside, and gestured for Edward to step forward. With timid hands, Bella grasped at the hem of her shirt and pulled it back up to expose her lean stomach. She felt a cool wet cloth against her skin and glanced up to see Edward wiping her down first.

"Jacob," he muttered under his breath. He didn't want to be Bella's sloppy seconds, so he cleaned her of anyone else's mark.

When she was prepped, Edward leaned over slowly and twirled his tongue on her hip bone. Bella tried to stifle a groan; he was teasing her in a way only they knew of.

"I like salt with my tequila." He winked at her as he lightly salted the area. He then proceeded to slowly pour the liquor down the center of her stomach. Bella shivered when the cold liquid hit her skin, making it spill between her breasts and tumble down towards her collar bone. Edward cocked an eyebrow at her, and placed a lime between her teeth.

"Go, Edward, Go!" He heard the crowd begin to chant his name, but blocked them out of his mind. Edward was focused on Bella, and only Bella.

With a glint in his eye, he leaned over, and swirled his tongue around her navel, lapping up the juices of tequila mixed with Bella. Taking his time, he slowly dragged his tongue up the center of her torso, not wasting a drop. Bella felt her face rush with blood as her friends watched Edward Cullen lick tequila from her bare skin; she was going to kill them later. She felt Edward blazing a hot trail, pausing when he reached her shirt tucked up under her breast bone. Her eyes focused intently on the ceiling, Bella shuddered when she felt Edward swirl his tongue around her collar bone, and work his way down to the swell of her breasts, lapping up every last drop.

Finally biting down on the lime, Edward lingered for a moment as their lips touched. Stepping back with a wide grin and lime between his teeth, he felt victorious that he had branded her as his own.

The crowd erupted with hootin' and hollerin' as Bella found herself being helped to her feet by Edward. She felt herself flush as one hand pressed firmly against the small of her back, and the other grasped her hand lightly.

"Thank you," she said as her feet found the ground. Spying a glance, she peeked up at his piercing eyes, and felt herself sway for just a moment, Edward's hand already in place to steady her.

"Careful, Bella," he spoke, and his eyes never left hers. The stain of blood on her cheeks was becoming too obvious, and she looked down as she heard a familiar voice over the loudspeaker at the bar.

"Hello? This thing on? Great!" Jasper rapped the mic with his hand as he climbed up to stand on the bar. Wearing tight fitted Levi's over cowboy boots, a button down flannel tucked in with a belt buckle the size of Texas, and topped it off with a ten gallon hat; Jasper looked like he'd stepped straight out of an old Saloon. "I want to thank ya'll for coming out tonight., I see a lot of old friends and new friends here tonight, annnd a lot of people I don't know either," Jasper joked as he scanned the room, meeting all their smiling faces. "It means a lot to me that you are all here, but most of all, I'd like to thank my beautiful bride, Alice, for giving a hick like me a chance." He knelt down on one knee on the bar, and reached over to Alice, grasping her hand to cup his face.

"Alice, I love you baby," he said with a smile and placed a kiss on her palm. Rolling her eyes, Alice lightly and playfully slapped him on the cheek before Jasper bounced back to his feet.

"Alright all ya'll yanks and red necks, let's dance!" Jasper shouted into the mic before he let out a yeehaw, and spun on his heel as the music turned up in the bar. His thumbs hooked under his waist band, Jasper began to execute a Texas stomp to the beat of the music. The crowd erupted with cheers as a few other bar patrons joined him on the bar to dance along to the song.

"Oh my god!" Alice cried with laughter against Bella's chest as she watched her fiancé stomp his cowboy boots to the rhythm of the music.

"Jasper! Jasper!" The gang began to clap and chant to the tune of the beat.

"Oh hell no!" Emmett shouted as the song can to an end. He rushed over to the DJ and whispered something quickly before jumping up on the bar beside Jasper.

"Let's show 'em how it's really done, Whitney Locks." He tipped his hat at the crowd and shot a quick wink at Rose.

The bar erupted when a familiar tune of a fiddler rang through the bar.

"Oh. My. God," Alice and Rose said in unison as the boys began to stomp their boots on the hardwood surface. Bella doubled over in laughter at the display, and let out a loud whistle.

Emmett and Jasper both had their thumbs tucked beneath the waist of their pants as they danced together to the first verse of the song.

_The devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal.  
He was in a bind 'cos he was way behind: he was willin' to make a deal.  
When he came across this young man sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot.  
And the devil jumped upon a hickory stump and said: "Boy let me tell you what:  
"I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too.  
"And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you.  
"Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the devil his due:  
"I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, 'cos I think I'm better than you."_

_  
The boy said: "My name's Johnny and it might be a sin,  
"But I'll take your bet, you're gonna regret, 'cos I'm the best that's ever been."_

_Johnny you rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard.  
'Cos hells broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals it hard.  
And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold.  
But if you lose, the devil gets your soul. _

_The devil opened up his case and he said: "I'll start this show."  
And fire flew from his fingertips as he resined up his bow.  
And he pulled the bow across his strings and it made an evil hiss.  
Then a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this._

Right on cue, Emmett wowed the crowd as he began to stomp and kick atop on the bar at an extremely fast pace to the tune of the fiddler, as Jasper and the rest of the bar watched and clapped along to encourage him. His face was focused intensely on Rose as he danced.

"He would be the devil," Rose smirked under her breath to the girls as they all had their eyes on Emmett.

"I had no idea they knew how to dance like this!" Alice giggled excitedly and bounced up and down.

"Really?" Bella asked her.

"Well, simple line dancing sure, but _this!" _Alice squealed in delight and grasped at both of their arms.

_  
When the devil finished, Johnny said: "Well you're pretty good ol' son.  
"But if you'll sit down in that chair, right there, and let me show you how it's done." _

Jasper tipped his hat to Emmett who had just finished an impress solo, and cast a quick smirk to Alice as he began to dance. His feet moved at a quick and impressive pace, as he stomped and scuffed his heel. The bar roared at Jasper's combinations of heel clicks, scuffs, and double and triple time steps, all while keeping a cool composure.

_  
Fire on the moun, run boys, run.  
The devil's in the house of the risin' sun.  
Chicken in the bread pin, pickin' out dough.  
"Granny, does your dog bite?"  
"No, child, no."  
_

He finished his solo and gestured towards Emmett, who tipped his hat at Jasper.

_  
The devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat.  
He laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet.  
Johnny said: "Devil just come on back if you ever want to try again.  
"I told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been."  
_

Emmett playfully punched at Jasper's arm, nodded three times to the beat, before they began to stomp again in perfect unison to the tune of the fiddler.

_  
And he played fire on the mount, run boys, run.  
The devil's in the house of the risin' sun.  
Chicken in the bread pin pickin' out dough.  
"Granny, does your dog bite?"  
"No, child, no."_

The boys ended the song perfectly on beat with a quick one, two step, and both cracked a wide smile.

"Yeah, Jasper! Yeah, Emmett!" Alice shouted at them along with the rest of the bar, who clapped loudly for their performance.

Taking turns, the boys jokingly kept bowing dramatically with their hats as the crowd chanted their names.

"That was fucking hot," Rose murmured to Bella. Bella nodded in agreement and shot a quick glance over to Edward, who was staring straight at her. She had been so distracted by the performance, she had momentarily forgotten how Edward had made her feel earlier. Bella felt the familiar rush of blood to her cheeks and looked quickly away.

The guys had jumped down from the bar, and joined the group again. Alice threw herself into Jasper's arms.

"Jasper, that was…how?" Alice stammered as she shook her head in wonder.

"Jasper, I think you actually managed to make Alice speechless," Bella laughed.

"Is that so?" He pulled his future bride under his arm. "Come on guys, round of drinks on me!" He waved his arm around and gestured to one of the girls at the bar.

"Alright!" Emmett punched the air. "All that dancing…made me thirsty," he said slowly to Rose as he wet his lips.

Bella was handed a beer and the group moved towards the main dance floor where other bar patrons were "slapping leather".

"Ooo! I know this one!" Alice giggled as she ran out onto the floor. Bella shook her head as Alice pulled her towards the dance floor.

"No, Alice!" she tried to protest.

"Come on Bella, it's easy, you'll catch on! It's just a couple of Dorothy's and heel stomps…you'll figure it out," she explained as she placed her right beside her. "Jasper will lead us!"

Jasper made his way to the front of the group and effortlessly led the less knowledgeable on the steps of the dance. Bella kept her eyes downward and tried to focus on the moves to the dance, as she felt both Jacob and Edward's watchful eyes on her every movement. It was beginning to become much harder to avoid acting familiar with Edward in a public setting, and being with Jacob was becoming more awkward, especially in the presence of Edward. If there was one blessing to this entire evening, it was that when you line danced, you didn't need a partner.

As the night grew on, the drinks that calmed her nerves continued to flow. Bella felt herself relax a little more and become comfortable. The music rang through the bar and ignited her senses. She felt a presence behind her, and spun around to meet a dark set of eyes staring down at her.

"Hey, Bella, want to share a drink with me?" Jacob asked her sweetly.

"Um, sure," she replied and followed him towards the bar. They managed to find two empty stools and Jacob ordered them a round of beers. Bella noted that he was wearing his typical white t shirt and low slung jeans. He flashed his bright white teeth as he handed over her drink.

"So Bella, you having fun?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah." She nodded, as she spun the neck of the bottle back and forth between her fingers.

"You look really great tonight," Jacob said in a husky voice, and gently placed a hand on the small of her back. Bella felt herself automatically stiffen at his touch.

"Hey, Bella," Rose shouted her name and rushed over to them. "Hey," she nodded, out of breath to Jacob. "Mind if I steal your girl for a second?" She winked and grasped Bella by the wrist, pulling her to her feet.

Jacob shook his head and raised his beer.

"Great!" Rose smiled, and swayed. She was obviously much drunker than Bella.

"Wait—what?"Bella asked as Rose pulled her up onto the bar.

"Hey DJ! Crank that shit!" Rose shouted and stomped her way across the bar, holding onto Bella's hand.

"Whooo!" Alice shouted and jumped up on the bar to join them.

The sound of Def Leppard rang through the air as Rose and Alice began to grind on the bar, singing loudly at the same time, "Pour some sugar on me." Bella's cheeks flushed as they sandwiched her and rubbed themselves seductively against her body.

"Come on, Bella," Alice whispered in her ear. "I didn't dress you up like this for nothing! Give 'em a little something-something."

Letting out a long breath, Bella closed her eyes and began to sway to the music. Imagining herself alone in a room with Edward, she grasped onto Rose's hips and rocked back and forth.

****

"Oh shit, Edward, look at Rose!" Emmett jabbed him in the ribs and pointed to the bar where the girls were dancing.

"Huh?" His beer hanging half out of his mouth, a stunned Edward turned to see not just Rose, but Bella grinding between both Rose and Alice. Her eyes were shut tight and she was clinging tightly onto Rose's hips. Her hair long brown hair was tossed back as she leaned against Alice's chest.

"Shiiit," Edward sighed to himself. He felt an immediate strain in his jeans as he watched her move. Wearing a tight white crop top, jean shorts that barely covered her ass, and red cowboy boots, Bella looked purely sinful.

The girls began to be wilder with their movements to the song. Edward held his breath as he watched Bella bend over at the waist, the subtle curve of her ass just barely peeking out from under her shorts before she snapped back up again. Transfixed by her movements, Edward didn't hear or see anything, but Bella.

He hadn't even noticed that Alice had grabbed a bottle of tequila from the behind the bar, and began to pour a shot into Rose's mouth.

"Oh fuck!" Emmett punched Edward in the arm. He bit his knuckles as he watched some of the alcohol spill over and run down her lips. Alice leaned in to help clean up, as she slowly licked some of the remaining liquid from her jaw line and neck. Even Edward had to admit that was some hot girl-on-girl action.

Rose snatched the bottle from Alice and poured a shot into her mouth them down her chest. Tossing her short hair back, Bella and Rose both did a body shot off their best friend, lapping up the juices from her neck. A bit more aggressive, Rose trailed down to suck and lap at Alice's wet and hard nipples through her wet shirt. When Alice let out an unexpected moan and grasped Rose by the hair, she pulled her up for a wet open mouth kiss, then turning to her other side, she pulled Bella in for another kiss. Timid and surprised at Alice's move, Bella gave into the moment as their tongues danced together.

Edward thought he might come right then as he watched Bella kiss another girl. He then saw Alice grab the liquor bottle and sloppily pour tequila into Bella's mouth, causing her to cough and the liquid to spill over onto her white shirt.

Somehow, Edward had managed to see Bella covered in crap and spilled on more that one rightfully should, but when he saw the tequila spill down her shirt, revealing that she was sans a bra, Edward felt an instinctive tug in the pit of his stomach, one that made him want to run across the bar and throw himself on top of her to cover her up. However, his protective instincts were thwarted when he heard a wicked voice curse softly beside him.

"Fucking Rose," the unfamiliar voice spat out. Edward got knocked by the shoulder as the figure in a dark coat passed hurriedly by, spilling his beer.

"Hey!" Edward called after the man, who was weaving his way to the bar. He watched as the man grasped Rose by the ankle, causing the three girls to stop dancing.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Rose asked as she kicked away his hand.

"Rosalie Hale, I've had enough of your nonsense. This is not a way for a lady to be behaving," the man said in a stern tone, as he cast evil glares towards Bella and Alice.

"Dude, who is that?" Emmett asked, as he sat up quickly and watched the cloaked figure talking to Rose.

"Not sure. But I don't think he's welcome," Edward replied, gesturing to Bella and Alice. They both had their arms crossed over their chest; Alice especially looked like she was throwing daggers with her eyes.

Rose squatted down atop on the bar, and spoke softly to the man.

"Roy, let's talk about this outside," she said. "This is a party, and I don't want _you_ ruining it for our friends." Roy nodded and gave her a hand to help her down from the bar. Rose mouthed something to the girls as the pair exited quickly and quietly.

Not feeling much like dancing anymore, Alice and Bella were helped down by Jasper, who had quickly rushed over when he spotted Royce at the bar.

"What's going on ladies? Alice, why is Roy here?" he asked. Jacob had come to stand behind Bella, who still had her arms crossed over her chest to cover up her immodesty.

"I don't know!" she cried, and waved her hands. Emmett and Edward had also rushed over to the join the group.

"Who the fuck was that?" Emmett bellowed. "And why did Rose leave with_ him_?" Bella sighed and shook her head, placing a consoling hand on his arm.

"_That _was Rose's ex-boyfriend," she explained to him.

"That weasely looking guy? Oh come _on!_ What does he want?" he asked, his face full of worry.

"They just went outside to talk," Bella explained. "I'm sure it will be fine. Rose is fully capable of handling herself."

"Come on, ya'll. Let's go cut a rug!" Jasper said cheerfully, trying to bring some life back into the party.

"Oh God, Jasper," Alice laughed and hooked her arm with his, pulling him towards the dance floor.

The gang puckered up, and headed back towards the dance floor where Jasper once again led them in a "Boot Scootin' Boogie." Feeling a bit woozy, Bella decided to sit one out and just watch. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves again. She chuckled to herself, when Edward grapevined the wrong way, right into Emmett.

"Dude!" He laughed, shoving Edward the other way. She noticed that Edward blushed a twinge and glanced up, catching her eye. She smirked at him, making him crack his goofy smile. Bella let out small giggle, when Edward shook his head and did a quarter turn with the group in the other direction. He continued to follow the steps of the dance, casting continual glances in her direction. Bella warmed from the inside out at his flirtatious looks; she had to figure out a way to get him over tonight.

Sneaking another look at him through her lashes, her heart dropped when Edward gave her a scowl. She furrowed her brows, giving him a confused look, but before she could ask herself what went wrong…

"Hey, Bella," Jacob said. He set two beers on the table as he sat beside her.

"Oh hey," she replied, a bit startled. She cast a quick glance over at Edward from the corner of her eye; his lips were pursed as he studied them intently.

"I got you a beer," he told her, gently pushing the bottle towards her across the table.

"Thanks," she replied and grasped the beer, drawing a long sip. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity as they watched their friends dance.

"I haven't talked to you in a while," Jacob said quietly. Bella shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I, uh, I've been really busy with work," Bella replied, blushing as memories of "work" in Edward's office came rushing back to her.

"Well you need to take a break from all that work. I'd love to take you out to dinner sometime this week," he said sweetly, placing his large, hot hand on her shoulder. Bella gritted her teeth, and resisted the urge to flinch away at his touch.

"I…uh…well… um," Bella stammered. As she tried to think of an excuse on the fly, her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hold on," she said, holding up a finger. Glancing at the caller ID, Bella gave her phone a puzzled look.

"Rose?" Bella asked, not getting a reply. "Rose? Hello? Are you there?" she shouted a bit louder into her phone. Plugging the other ear with her finger, Bella desperately tried to hear anything from the other end of receiver.

"Huh, maybe she called me from her purse?" she mouthed at Jacob. "Roooose? If you don't answer me, I'm going to hang up!" Bella said playfully into the phone.

"—ella, I…" a garbled voice, responded weakly into phone.

"Rose! Speak up, there's a lot of static and it's super loud in here." Bella sat up to concentrate when she heard a response.

"Roy, he…down by the lake…I…I'm hurt…" Rose sputtered out. Bella furrowed her brow, only making out every other few words.

"Rose! What? Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Roy," she sobbed into the phone, her voice cracking. "He attack—shit! He's coming back," she whispered. Bella heard Rose drop her phone, and the muffled voices of Roy and Rose arguing on the other end of the line. She strained to hear what they were saying, but could only hear Roy's venomous tone resounding through the receiver. Chills rang down her spin when she heard a crack and shrill scream, then silence.

The blood rushed from her face, and Bella slowly lowered her phone.

"Bella, what happened?" Jacob asked concerned. "Your face is a white as a ghost."

"Rose, something happened to Rose," she spoke softly, staring off into the distance, still shocked. Jacob sprang to his feet and called Jasper over to the table. The smile he wore on his face dropped as soon as he saw Bella.

"Hey Bells, what's wrong?" Jasper asked her sweetly. Snapping out of her coma, Bella wrenched her head to the side and stood swiftly to her feet.

"Rose is in trouble. I think Roy attacked her," she said quickly to the pair. "We need to go find her, NOW!" Bella shouted, banging the table with her fist, causing Alice and Edward to look over at the commotion.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." Jasper tried to calm her. "Start from the beginning."

"What's wrong, Bella?" Alice bounced over to the table, the others right on her heels.

"Rose! She called me, I couldn't quite hear her, but it sounded like she was in trouble!" Bella cried, becoming more desperate. "We need to go help her."

"What!?" Alice cried. "Oh my god! What did she say?"

"Something about Roy, she was whispering…her voice…" Bella gasped. "…it didn't sound right. I then heard them arguing on the other end, there was a loud crack, a gunshot? I'm not sure. Rose screamed, then…nothing."

"I knew that fuck was a fucker," Emmett growled, cracking his knuckles one-by-one. "I'll drive you, Bella. I've only had one drink and I want a chance at smashing that guy's face in."

"I'm coming too," Edward spoke up, and cast her a quick, yet hopeful smile.

"Bella, did Rose tell you where she was?" Jasper asked her, still remaining calm.

"Down by the lake…I think," Bella answered him unsure. "It was hard to hear, but I thought I heard music in the background too."

"Navy Pier is having their Oktober-festival!" Alice shouted a bit too loudly, and quickly covered her mouth.

"Good thinking, Alice. Okay why don't we start there and break up into two groups. Alice, you, Jacob and I will go North. Emmett, you take Bella and Edward southbound," Jasper instructed them like troops getting ready for a battle.

"Let's go!" Emmett shouted and sprang to his feet, leading the group out of the bar. Bella whipped out her phone again, hoping to reach Rose on the line, when she felt someone grasp her by the arm.

"Bella, hey…" Jacob pulled her discreetly off to the side.

"What's up, Jacob?" she asked him hastily.

"I um…I can't go with you guys," he said bashfully, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"What? Why?" she asked him, shaking her head, unsure of what he was talking about.

"I can't…be part of a fight or associated with what might happen tonight," he stammered out.

"I don't understand what you mean, Jacob. Rose is in trouble, now let's go!" she said, her voice getting a bit more worked up. She turned to walk away when Jacob grabbed her arm again and pulled her back. This time Bella did not resist the urge to yank her arm away.

"Jacob! Stop messing around!"

"Bella, I'm serious," he shouted at her between gritted teeth. "I can't. I'm a popular figure and if people hear about what happened and my name is involved, it could mean bad things for me."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing, my friend is hurt and alone somewhere, and you're wasting my time because you are worried about, what, getting five for fighting?! You're a fucking hockey player, Jacob!" Bella shouted at him, waving her hands widely. At this point, the rest of the group noticed their yelling match and were standing by. Jacob stood still, stunned at what Bella had said to him. Defeated, he let his arms fall to his side and dropped his head.

"Whatever, Jacob," Bella spat out as she turned to walk away. Alice rushed over to her side and put her arm around her.

"Oh, and Jacob," Bella spoke up, pausing for a moment to turn around "Don't bother to call me again."

****

OH SNAP! well.. i'm sure many of you are glad about that ending. lol ;) The Jacob part, not the Rose bit, obviously.

Please Review and Happy New Year!! GO 2010 :P *whispers* a little closer to Eclipse!

Here are the links:

Save a Horse Ride a Jasper, I mean Edward, I mean COWBOY! - Big and Rich

http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Qt0_oPPK6eA

Devil went down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band

http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg

Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard

http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=RFgmQ-kUy1k


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Thanks to Rachelcullen77 for beta'ing this chapter!! xoxo bb!

Thank you to all my reviewers! i read and cherish every review!!! xoxo!

Okay.. so where were we? oh yah, kicking Jacob to the curb. :)

* * *

Bella stomped away furiously from Jacob and hopped into the front seat of Emmett's Jeep. The three remained silent as they drove off towards Navy Pier. Bella took out her cell phone and punched in Rose's number again.

"Any luck?" Emmett asked her. His face was stern, yet full of worry. Bella shook her head slowly.

"Just goes straight to voice mail," she told him, her hands collapsing against her lap. Edward shifted forward in the back seat, and leaned between Emmett and Bella to listen in.

"Keep trying," Emmett told her as he headed east bound, weaving in and out of traffic.

"Where should we park? Bella, where do you think Roy would've taken Rose?"

"I'm…I'm not sure, I don't think Oktoberfest though," she told him. "But let's at least drive by there, and then head south."

Emmett nodded and circled his way through the city. They scanned the streets for any sign of Rose. In a city of over nine million people, finding Rose was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. They tried to keep positive as they drove slowly southbound on Lake Shore Drive.

"Why don't you turn off here, Emmett," Bella instructed him. "People are getting annoyed with you going twenty under the speed limit." She pointed for him to head towards Millennium Park.

"Let's park and walk around a bit," Edward suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Bella agreed.

They pulled over into the nearest parking spot they could find and jumped out quickly. Bella sighed, frightened for her friend. The park was vast and Rose could be anywhere.

"Should we split up to cover more ground?" Bella asked.

"No, I don't want that creep hurting you too!" Emmett shouted at her, a bit on edge. Bella was slightly taken aback at his quick reaction, but didn't take it to heart for she knew he meant well.

"Emmett, I'll stick with Bella, and we will head towards the lake, why don't you search around the park and theatre? We both know you could take that Roy guy if you needed to," Edward suggested.

"Fine, let's hurry. Call me in a bit to check in."

"Okay," Bella replied and took off running east towards the lake with Edward. She hadn't expected to be running around in October in daisy duke and tiny white tank top, but nothing had really been what she had expected lately. She glanced over to Edward, still in his cowboy get up; the pair of them was certainly a sight to see running around a park in the middle of the night.

Both of them wished to speak about what had happened between them early. Edward especially, now that Jacob was finally out of the picture, but this wasn't the time. He would wait until later, when Rose was safe.

When they reached the end of Monroe Street, back towards Lake Shore Drive, Bella gasped and grabbed Edward's arm coming to a full stop.

"What is it?" he asked her, looking over her concerned face.

"I can't believe I'm such an idiot," she whispered and took off running full speed. Confused, Edward began to run after her. Darting through traffic, Bella crossed the intersection and headed towards the parking lot of The Chicago Yacht Club.

"Bella, what is it!?" Edward called after her. Bella was quick, a fast runner. She weaved her way around the entrance of the building and toward the back. She came to a screeching halt when she finally reached the water.

"Bella," Edward gasped for air, his hands on his knees. "Tell me."

"Roy has a boat here," she told him and turned to look upon his flushed face. "I think he took her here."

"Are you sure? Where does he dock his boat?" Edward stood up and laced his hands over his head. Scanning the dark, midnight blue water, he glanced north and then south. The Chicago Harbor ran north from the Chicago River all the way down south to the museum campus, about two miles in length.

"To the left, I think...it's been awhile since I've been on his boat. Honestly, I've only been on it twice," Bella confessed.

"But I do know what it's called!" she shouted to him, as she took off running again. Edward had no choice but to chase after her once more and started jogging behind her.

The majority of the boats were located around the along curve on the shore. After about ten minutes of running, they reached the first dock. Each dock contained about fifty slips on either side.

Bella began to swiftly walk down the first dock, scanning each boa, checking every name. Still running Edward jogged to finally catch up.

"What's the name of the boat, Bella?" he asked her quickly, trying to disguise the fact he was out of breath.

"King and I," Bella said plainly. Her eyes intently focused on checking every boat.

"Interesting…how do you remember that, but not the kind of boat he has?"

"I don't know…well I do. I just remember the title, because I poked fun at him for naming it after a musical."

"Which musical?"

"Um… 'The King and I'? You know, 'Etc…etc…etc…'"She quoted a famous line from the play to him.

"Sorry, don't know what you're talking about," Edward admitted.

"You're such a boy." she managed to crack and half a smile. "Neither did Roy. He thought he was such a ballar and there I went, taking him down a peg or two. It was priceless."

When they reached the end of the dock, they turned around, and jogged back down towards the next one.

"I never did like Roy much, but I never expected this…" Bella's voice cracked a bit as she shook her head. She and Edward walked side by side down another endless row of boats.

Feeling her pain, Edward reached out and took her hand in his. She looked up at him with worried eyes and turned the corner of her mouth upward. He tried to give her a hopeful look, but inwardly he knew that if they didn't find Rose soon, they would need to call the police.

The harbor was a bit of an eerie place, Bella found. As they moved silently through the night, the cold air rippled over the lake, giving her goosebumps. Edward noticed her shiver and pulled her tight against his body, and tucked her under his arm. The echo of their footsteps was loud over the sound of the boats creaking as they rocked back and forth in their resting places.

"Do you think we'll find her?" Bella finally dared to ask.

"Yes, I do." Edward leaned over and kissed the top of her forehead. As they came to the other end of the dock, Bella sighed and started to turn around.

"Perhaps we should call Emmett and check in," she suggested and pulled out her phone. She began to walk back down the dock.

"Hm…okay," Edward said slowly and turned towards Bella. Glancing around himself, something in the glow of the moonlight caught his eye. Pausing for just a moment, he strained his eyes to see what it was.

"Edward?" Bella noticed he was still a few paces behind her. He stood still as he studied the object; it appeared to be a floating collection of trash.

"What is it?" she came to stand beside him, trying to see what he was looking at.

"It's nothing," he said shaking his head and began to turn away.

"What's nothing?" she asked him, straining against the night to see what he looking at.

"That pile of trash, people are disgusting."

"Huh…"Bella said, noticing the bobbing mess. "Wait—"

A fleck of gold glimmered in the moonlight, making Bella's heart stop.

"Oh my God!" Bella shouted.

Without warning Bella dove head first into the frigid murky waters. Franticly stroking, she paddled her way across the harbor. Stunned, Edward ripped off his shoes and emptied his pockets before he dove in after her.

"Bella!" he called to the splashing fury before him.

Reaching the pile of trash first, Bella grasped what was most dear to her. Completely unconscious, Rose was floating amidst the lake debris. An old trash bag had been her life raft, as she drifted face up and left for dead. Supporting her best she could, Bella began to pull her back towards the dock as quickly as possible. Edward reached out to help her support Rose, kicking and paddling until their legs burned. Jumping quickly out of the water, he pulled Rose up first from the cold water.

He checked for a pulse, and found a one, a very faint one. Drenched, Bella hovered over her lifeless friend as Edward checked her over. Rose's shirt was covered in blood; her skin was pale and her lips blue.

"She's bleeding," Bella pointed to her chest and feel to her knees. Ripping open her shirt, they found a small burnt hole in her flesh.

"Oh my god," Bella gasped. "She's been shot."

Without missing a beat, Edward tore off his shirt and pressed it against the wound.

"Hold this here and apply pressure, I need to do CPR," he instructed. "Call 911, then Emmett and the others."

Bella reached into her sopping wet pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

"Fuck, my phone is fried!" she cried, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Edward jerked a nod towards the small pile of belongings he had removed from his person before diving in.

Relieved, Bella quickly dialed 911, as she watched Edward administer CPR to her friend. With the emergency vehicles on their way, Bella hastened to call Emmett.

"Come on, Rose," she encouraged her, squeezing her small hand. A gurgling noise and a small sputter of water bubbled out of her mouth.

"Yes!" Bella cheered a little bit victorious. She was still unconscious, but breathing.

"Hello?" Emmett spoke up on the other end of the line.

"Emmett," Bella cried, relieved and upset at the same time. "We found her, in the lake."

"What! Is she okay?"

"I…I…don't know. She's been shot and she unconscious. An ambulance is on its way. We are at the Yacht Club," she told him.

"I'll be right there." Bella set down the phone and ran a hand against her friend's gentle face.

"Come on, Rose. Don't let that bastard win, stay with us."

Edward couldn't help but swallow down a sob that willed to come up in his throat. Watching Bella hold her best friend in her arms, was more than he could handle. Life was short, precious, and he knew what he wanted more than anything. Had Bella been the one who had been attacked…he couldn't even fathom the thought. He studied the curves of her face as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. He was frightened, scared for Rose and scared for Bella. He also knew that after tonight, nothing would be the same.

****

The emergency vehicles had arrived about the same time as Emmett. Bella stayed with Rose as they rode over to Northwestern Hospital. Emmett and Edward followed shortly behind in his jeep. Emmett had been able to phone Jasper, and update them on the situation.

Rose had been immediately rushed into surgery, so all they could do was wait patiently for any news.

Being in hospitals made Edward uncomfortable. _So much blood everywhere_, he thought to himself as he eyed a man holding a blood soaked towel to his nose. He found he was unable to sit still for long in the hard plastic chairs of the waiting room. He wandered over to the vending machines, and bought himself a package of peanut M&M's. From across the room he looked over to Bella. She had managed to tuck her legs beneath herself and curl up in a tiny ball, her head bobbing side to side as she struggled to stay awake. He noticed her shiver slightly and shook his head.

Bella had refused to let the medics examine her when they had arrived on the scene. She was half dressed, and wearing damp clothes on a cool autumn evening. Edward shivered himself when he remembered the shocking bitter sting of the lake. He at least had been able to put on a mangy shirt Emmett had lying around his car. Deciding to take action, Edward stuffed his M&M's in his pocket and began to prowl around the hospital.

****

Feeling sleep willing to overcome her body, Bella pulled her legs tighter against her chest, trying to stay warm. Earlier she had been able to snuggle up next to Alice, but her friend was now completely passed out and lying in Jasper's lap. Bella rubbed her arms vigorously with her hands, and tucked her head between her knees, just to rest her eyes for a moment.

"Here, I stole you a blanket." She heard a soft voice whisper to her in her dream-like state. A downy fabric was place around her shoulders and gentle touch caressed her back. Her eyes fluttered open and Bella glanced up to Edward, and smiled weakly.

"Thank you," she whispered and pulled the blanket tighter around her body. The overwhelming sense of sleep overcame her body, and Bella leaned against Edward's shoulder as she drifted off.

****

"Bella, Bella. Wake up, Bella."

Edward had noticed that Bella was shivering uncontrollably as she slept. Her lips had turned a slight shade of blue, and her skin was very cool to touch. He sensed that something was wrong; she needed to get medical attention, whether or not she agreed.

Nudging her slightly to wake her up, he whispered her name softly again.

"Bella, come on. Wake up," he pleaded and shook her tiny body a bit more harshly.

"What's up, Edward?" Jasper looked over at them from across the tiny waiting area.

"Bella…" he cupped her head in his hand. "She won't wake up. I think she might be sick." Jasper sat up a bit more in his seat, and shifted in tiny movements as to not wake Alice.

"Did she drink too much?" he asked; a few of them were still wearing off the effects of alcohol from that evening.

"No, she's freezing cold."

"Well, she is wearing Daisy Dukes in October, crazy girls," he chuckled and ran his hand across the brim of his ten gallon hat.

"Yeah, and still a bit wet," Edward added as he rubbed Bella's arm briskly with his hand.

"Wet?"

"Yeah, she was the one who found Rose and dove in to get her." Edward pulled her tighter against his chest.

Jasper's eyes flew open and he sat up like a shot, causing Alice to roll off his lap onto the floor.

"Ow!" Alice cried when she hit the ground. Ignoring his fiancé for the first time in his life, he stepped over her and crossed over immediately to Bella. Kneeling before them both, Jasper grasped her tiny face in his hands and glanced back at Edward.

"She was in the lake too?" he asked again, just to be sure.

"Yeah…we both were," Edward furrowed his brow, confused at Jasper's agitated state.

"Jasper! What the heck?" Alice cried and stomped over, rubbing her head.

"Not now Alice." He held up his hand and scooped Bella up into his arms. "Edward, Bella may have hypothermia, we need to have a doctor look at her straight away."

Edward felt sick to his stomach, and ran over to grab the nearest nurse. Bella had been sitting here all night, right next to him, and he hadn't even realized that she was in danger too.

The nurses quickly moved Bella to a nearby bed and stripped her of all her wet clothing and covered her with multiple blankets. Worried and concerned for her health, he grasped her tiny hand in his, trying to rub warmth and life back into her body.

"Excuse me sir, I need to hook up an IV," a nurse gently placed a tender hand on his back.

"Sure." Edward moved out of the way, and watched the nurse administer warm intravenous fluids. He glanced up at and caught Jasper's eye, he had been trying to comfort a sobbing Alice against his chest.

"Thank you," he mouthed to him. Jasper nodded knowingly.

"Where's Bella?" Emmett shouted as he burst into the room. He had been sneaking around trying to find out information about Rose when Bella had been whisked away. His jaw dropped when he saw the lifeless pale blue face wrapped in blankets before him.

"Oh my god, Bella!" He grasped his hair and yank at it from the roots. The nurse tutted and placed a consoling hand upon his broad back.

"She's going to be okay. She was only in stage one, so she will make a full recovery," she assured them and scribbled a few notes on her clipboard, hooking it on the end of the bed.

"Wait" He grabbed the nurse as she was starting to leave. "Can you get us an update on a patient called Rosalie Hale?" Emmett gave the nurse pleading look that could melt snow. The nurse pursed her lips and sighed.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," he said sincerely. She nodded and shuffled out of the room.

Edward, still by Bella's side, looked around the small room at the others. Alice had been struggling to stay awake as she swayed and bumped into Jasper.

"It's four AM, why don't you take Alice home to get some rest, I'll stay here with Bella. We will call you if something happens," Edward suggested.

Alice jerked her head up at her name and tried to wrench her eyes open.

"Huh?" she yawned widely.

"Do you want to head home for a little bit, Alice?" Jasper asked, rubbed her shoulders gently.

"No… it's my fault they are here. It's my fault, if we hadn't had—" She shook her head violently and sobbed.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, Alice." Jasper placed a tender hand on her head, petting her hair to calm her down. Her sobs became dry and throaty, and her eyes were tired and swollen. Jasper tucked her back under the crook of his arm and held her tight against his chest.

About ten minutes later the same nurse came back in to check up on Bella.

"Your friend, Ms. Hale, has just been brought out of surgery."

"Can we go see her?" Emmett asked.

"Sure, she's at the other end of the building, room 210," she informed them.

"You guys go ahead and check on Rose. I'll stay with Bella in case she wakes up," Edward told them.

Emmett agreed and took off straight away. Jasper nodded, pausing for a brief moment as he watched Edward tending to Bella's side. He knew she'd be in good hands with him. Turning, he ushered Alice with him out of the room.

****

When Rose finally came to, she was confused and disoriented. She knew she was in the hospital from the steady beeping noise of her heart monitor and the plain décor on her surroundings. Emmett was seated in a chair beside her bed, his head cocked back and a glisten of drool at the corner of his mouth. Her throat burned and was so dry it hurt to try to speak. Not wanting to disturb Emmett, she leaned over to grab a cup of water on the table beside her. She immediately winced and cried out at the shooting pain in her chest and arm.

"Rose!" Emmett sat up quickly in his seat when he heard her stir. "Here, allow me." He grabbed the cup from the table and held it up gently to her lips as she drew slow sips.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot," she said hoarsely. Emmett smirked at her sarcastic tone.

"Let me get the nurse, I'm sure they will want to check up on you."

The doctor came in a few minutes later and informed Rose that she had suffered a wound to the chest, luckily just above her right lung, and that it would be several weeks before she would make a full recovery.

"The police are here and would like to get your statement on the incident, Miss. Is that okay?" the doctor asked before he left.

"Yes, that's fine," she sighed. "Might as well get it over with."

"Okay then." He nodded and left the room.

"I can leave while they are here, give you some privacy," Emmett suggested and began to stand up. Rose's eyes flew wide and grasped at his arm.

"No!" she said a bit louder than she had expected. Emmett froze in his position and slowly sat back down. "Please…don't go. I need you here." Her eyes were scared and wild. Emmett grasped her hand tightly in his and tenderly kissed the back.

"I won't leave unless you tell me too."

"Thank you," she whispered. There was a light rap at the door, and two police officers in their standard blue uniforms walked in.

"Miss Rosalie Hale," the taller one nodded an address her. He flipped open a small note pad and drew out a pencil. "We are here to get your official statement on the incident last night."

Rose nodded hesitantly; she was still in a bit of shock about what had happened. Emmett squeezed her hand and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Okay…well. Roy had come into the club and made a big fuss. I didn't want to ruin Jasper and Alice's party, so I decided to talk with him outside…" she sighed loudly and continued. "…when we got outside, he started to shout at me for my behavior and whatever…I was so mad at him, I didn't even notice that he had a few other friends waiting for him. He then, got all weird and started to act really sweet instead…" Rose felt her voice start to warble and croak.

"He was putting his hands all over me, and I didn't like it. He said he wanted to go home and make love to me, and that he wanted things to be the way they used to be. I tried to protest and shove him away. That just made him angry. He grabbed me roughly by the arm, and dragged me over to his car. I tried to fight him off, but he was so strong…his friends were there to help."

"Who were his friends?" the cop asked her.

"I…I don't know. Some shitheads I'd never seen before honestly. Roy had a lot of shady friends he would meet at the race tracks."

"Then what happened?"

"We took off, driving around through the city. Roy was talking to me, trying to kiss me and feel me up in the backseat of the car. I didn't really know what he had planned until we got to the Yacht Club. He had his friends help carry me to his boat, where he claimed he wanted to make love to me beneath the stars…" Rose shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I knew something was wrong with him, he was acting ballistic at this point. It was when he had undocked the boat and began to drive that I was able to call Bella at the back of his boat. I tried to tell her where I was…Roy heard me and…and…" Rose stuttered with a shaky voice. Tiny streams of wet tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay…take your time," Emmett said softly, kissing the hand that was tightly clinging onto him.

"He started to yell at me about love, loyalty and commitment. I yelled at him that I didn't love him anymore. Before I knew what was going on, he had pulled a gun on me…" Rose shuddered at the memory. The fire in his burning eyes as he roared in terror, the tearing of flesh as the bullet had ripped through her body and propelled her backwards into the bitter waters of the lake. "…and then nothing."

The office flipped the book closed and tucked it into the back pocket of his pants.

"Thank you, Miss, for your time. We are going to put out a warrant Royce King's arrest. We will have police surveillance on your room should he try and finish the job, but I don't think that's going to happen. Chances are this guy is on the run."

"Okay," Rose nodded and wiped away at her tears. The officers made their goodbyes and left them alone in the tiny private room of the hospital.

"Where's everyone?" Rose asked curiously. "And how did you find me?"

"Bella." Emmett smiled at her. "We split up to go looking for you and Bella was the one that put together the pieces. She and Edward spotted you floating in the water with a bunch of debris. They dove in and saved you."

"Where are they now?"

"Bella…she got hypothermia from being in the lake; she's being looked at in one of the other rooms. Edward is with her. Alice and Jasper were here for hours, but after you came out successfully out of surgery, we made Jasper take Alice home. She was…being a bit hysterical and really needed some sleep," he chuckled lightly.

"Oh…how's Bella?"

"She was doing a lot better, I ran over to check up on her about an hour ago and she's awake now, but feeling a bit nauseous. The nurse said she will make a full recovery and should be good to go in a few hours or so…"

"That's good," Rose said, her voice beginning to crack again. Her bottom lip was starting to quiver as tears threatened to come streaming down again.

"Hey, hey…Rose, it's okay. You're safe now," Emmett said quietly, trying to sooth her. Rose let a sob escape and gasped.

"I—I just can't believe I let this happen, and to my best friends," she cried.

"Rose, it's not your fault," Emmett cupped her face in his hand and leaned over to place a soft endearing kiss upon her chapped and bruised lips.

"Come on, you must be starving…let me go get you get you some delicious hospital food." He winked at her.

"Okay." Emmett smiled and placed another kiss a top her forehead as he stood to leave.

"Oh— and Emmett?" Rose called after him.

"Yes?" he asked as he was reaching for the door.

"Get some of that weird green jello." Emmett felt his heart warm when she cracked a smile at him. He had known it the first time he laid eyes on her, and he still knew it then. He was going to marry that girl.

****

Lots happening in this chap.

Let me know what you think! Please review! :) xoxo- dark!

Twilight Indies nom's are coming up!!! who are you nom'ing? I need some reading rec's!!!!


	18. Chapter 18

AN: SM owns i do not.

Hey guys!! sorry it took me .. I had by far the craziest two months ever. traveling for work, weddings, etc...etc...enough excuses! lol. However, i'm happy to say i'm back in the writing groove and updates will be happening MUCH for frequently. So, without further adieu, here's the chap! xoxo!

****

Bella writhed in her bed, her stomach churning in knots. She had been feeling nauseous and began vomiting early that morning. The combination of tequila and beer had been too much for her to handle.

She had felt better by that afternoon and after stopping by to visit Rose before she left, Edward took her home to get some rest. Still feeling weak, Edward had helped her into the empty house and tucked her in bed. There was something oddly comforting about being home from such a tragedy.

Exhausted, Bella fell quickly asleep as soon as she hit the sheets. Feeling tired himself, Edward lay down beside her on top of her comforter and nestled up closely. He smiled to himself as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest.

The gentle brush of a hand against her cheek stirred Bella, and she opened her eyes to see the glowing face of her friend hovering over her.

"Alice, what's going on?" She pushed herself to sit up in bed and glanced around the empty room for other signs of life. There was a warm glow from the window; Bella expected she had slept most of the day.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice croaked and leaned over to hug her tightly against her chest. Slightly confused, Bella slowly wrapped her arms around her.

"Its okay, Alice. How is Rose doing?"

"Better, much better. She's just really sore. I think they will release her tomorrow."

"She was very lucky."

"Lucky! You're telling me! She wouldn't have made it, if it weren't for you. You were her lucky charm." Bella pursed her lips, and awkwardly shifted in her bed.

"Maybe…but I'm definitely not magically delicious," Bella smirked and peered up at her friend. Alice cracked a smile and snorted loudly, surprising herself. They both bellowed over in laughter.

"Hmm… I think others would disagree with me." Alice gave her a mischievous look and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What does that mean?" Bella felt the blood rush to her cheeks, and looked down to avoid Alice's gaze.

"It means, that there is a mighty fine young looking man cooking you up some eggs downstairs." Alice winked at her and helped her out of bed. Leading her down the stairs to the kitchen, Alice whispered in her ear before they entered the room.

"…and don't think I didn't notice the way he did that body shot on you," she chuckled and smacked her ass before running off.

Bella's face turned as red as a beet as she stumbled into the kitchen. The aroma of fresh eggs being fried filled the room.

"Morning sunshine! Well… evening, I suppose." Edward shot a wide smile over to Bella. He looked refreshed; Bella noticed he had changed and taken a shower, as had Jasper and Alice. She felt a bit self conscious about her appearance and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Um, hi."

"I thought you might be hungry after purging any trace of food from your system this morning," Edward laughed as he pushed around the running yolk with a spatula.

"Thanks," she replied sheepishly and crossed the room to join the others seated in the breakfast nook.

"So, Jasper was just telling me about how he and Alice met," said Edward.

"Don't bore the poor guy, Jazz!" Alice teased.

"Oh yeah? That is a story, isn't it?" Bella remarked and rested her head in her hand.

"What can I say? Edward asked me how I proposed and I just got carried away with myself," Jasper chuckled and pulled Alice in for a hug.

"Nah, I don't mind," Edward replied and scooped the eggs off onto a plate. He snatched the ketchup from the fridge and brought over the food to Bella.

Alice noted Edward's attention to her favorite egg topping and gave Bella a look.

"We had a breakfast meeting together," she whispered to Alice, and turned to the food set before her.

"Thank you, Edward," she replied gratefully, her stomach growling with hunger. Taking large bites of the ketchup covered eggs, she quickly cleared her plate.

When she was done, she pushed the plate away and turned to face Alice.

"I have a confession to make, Alice," Bella told her.

"Okay?"

Waiting a moment before she spoke, Bella licked her lips. "Rose and I had something planned for you tonight, a bachelorette party if you will. But considering the circumstances, I don't think that's going to happen," Bella told her sadly and looked down at the table.

"Oh Bella!" She threw her arms around her. "That's so sweet! It's okay; it's the thought that counts." She pulled away, and still grasping her by the shoulders, started staring straight into her brown eyes. "We can always reschedule until after the wedding, and when Rose is feeling better." She nodded to Bella.

"Well, um… okay? But doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a "Bachelorette" party if you are married?" Bella asked her with a confused look. Jasper and Edward let out a light laugh at what she had said. Alice scoffed and shooed them away.

"It doesn't matter. It's basically just a girl's night out anyways!" Alice giggled.

"I suppose." Bella pushed around the leftover globs of ketchup on her plate, making a swirled design with her fork. She felt a bit self conscious as everyone else was sitting there, simply staring at her. The room felt awkwardly quiet suddenly.

"So, where's Emmett?" she wondered.

"He's still at the hospital with Rose," Edward spoke up.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, we tried to get him to come home with us, so Rose could rest and he could shower or something, but he wouldn't hear any of it."

"Yeah, nothing was going to pry him from that hospital room. I think the nurses are even too scared of him to make him leave," Jasper laughed and Bella snorted.

"What about Roy? What happened with him?"

"The police have a warrant out for his arrest for attempted murder," Jasper informed her. "We are also getting a restraining order, obviously."

"Wow…" Bella sat in her seat, too stunned to move. "I can't believe all this just happened in the last twenty four hours."

"It's a lot to take in, but Rose is going to be just fine, thanks to you." Edward placed a hand a top of hers on the table and gave it a tight squeeze. Bella was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to realize that Jasper and Alice were sitting right next to her, and would notice. In fact, it seemed so comfortable, so natural, that she didn't even give it a second thought.

"Thanks, Edward," she replied, staring off into space over the gravity of the situation. Alice noticed her glossy eyed look, and knew Bella would soon be on the verge of a breakdown if she didn't snap out of it.

"Bella, why don't you go upstairs and take a hot shower? The rest of us will clean up, and then we can go visit Rose," she suggested.

She nodded and slowly stood up. Edward sprang to his feet to help her.

With her out of the room, Edward turned to face both Jasper and Alice. He had been longing to talk to them after Bella had kicked Jacob to the curb, but it hadn't been appropriate. He grasped nervously at the back of the wooden chair and let out a sigh.

"I wanted to ask you both something," he spoke up, his voice low and somber. Sensing his seriousness, Jasper and Alice both shifted in their chairs to face him properly, giving him their undivided attention.

"I would like to ask your permission to properly date Bella. I—" He paused for a moment, unsure of how to convey what he meant, without betraying Bella's confidence. "I have approached her before about the matter, and she expressed concern about what family and friends would think of her dating her boss. I feel that if I had your approval, she would feel...differently."

Jasper and Alice both glanced sideways at each other and grinned.

"What exactly are your intentions with Miss Swan?" Jasper asked him with a smirk.

"I…I…would like to date her," he replied, shifting a bit uncomfortably.

"Why?" Alice crossed her arms over her chest and tried to hold back a smile.

"Because, she is the most interesting, vivacious, and talented women I've had grace of knowing," Edward stared at Alice, with all seriousness in his heart. "Not to mention she's beautiful, confident and brave. I can't seem to get her out of my mind, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to find out why."

Alice smiled widely at Edward at then at Jasper before springing into Edward's arms for a hug.

"Oh wow! You get my approval, Edward!" she laughed joyously as her tiny body squeezed his.

"Thanks, Alice," he laughed and hugged her back. Jasper grinned and doffed his head as if he were a hat.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go upstairs and ask her!" Alice shoved Edward towards the way out of the kitchen. He couldn't help but laugh at her attempt to move him.

"Ha ha. I don't know, Alice, I don't think right now is a good time."

"Don't be a silly boy. Go!" she shooed him away.

Edward chuckled as he was forced out of the kitchen. He raked his hands through his hair as he stepped slowly up the stairs, which suddenly seemed much longer and steeper than they had been before. When he reached the top landing he felt nervous. Bella's door was slightly ajar, so he knocked lightly before entering.

"Bella?" he called into her small room.

"Edward?" he heard her call from her restroom. Within a moment, she stomped out, wrapping a bathrobe quickly around her tight form. Her hair was soaked and dripping small droplets of water onto her collar bone.

Gulping slowly at the site of her standing there, covered only by a thin terry clothed towel, Edward felt his mouth go dry.

"Umm, Alice wanted me to check up on you," he said. He would talk to her later, he decided; when the time was right. "See when you'd be ready."

"Oh, thanks," she replied, tucking the towel a little tighter against her body. "I'll be ready shortly. Just give me a few minutes."

Edward nodded and slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. When he entered back into the kitchen, Alice was bouncing out of her chair with excitement.

"So?" she asked him.

He raked his lean fingers through his hair and shook his head. "Later," he told her.

*****

Rose stirred in her bed; the pain from being shot was beginning to creep back as her medication wore off. Noticing her discomfort, Emmett sprang from his chair and rushed to her side.

"Are you okay, Rose?" he asked, his eyes full of concern as he cupped her hand in his.

"I'm fine, thanks." She sighed loudly. She felt bad that everyone was making such a fuss over her. Normally Rose liked attention, craved it even. However, right now, after being duped by her ex, she felt humiliated and hurt. "Actually…"she perked up. "Can you get me some Jello?"

"Jello?" Emmett asked again, just to be sure Rose was requesting to eat a rubbery gelatin substance.

"Yah, the green kind."

"Some green Jello coming right up!" Emmett smiled and bounced out of the room on a Jello expedition.

Relieved to have some momentary quiet time to herself, Rose laid back and let out another long sigh as she closed her eyes.

****

"Excuse me, miss?" Alice tried to grab a nurse passing by in the hallway. "Where is Miss Rosalie Hale? She was in this room this morning but isn't anymore."

The woman scanned the faces of the worried group and tucked her clip board under her arm.

"She was probably moved out of post-op and into a room. I'd check over at that desk to see what room she's in." She nodded off to the left and then scurried down the hall.

"Thanks…." Alice said to her back and she walked away. "Come on guys, Rose has to be around here somewhere."

As Alice inquired as to the whereabouts of their friend, Bella went and sat in a chair off to the side. Edward kept an eye on her as they waited for the nurse to assist them.

"Are you alright, miss?" a young male nurse asked Bella.

"Who me?" Bella asked, noticing the man standing over her.

"Yes, you." He lightly tapped the plastic bracelet around her wrist, signifying her attendance at the hospital.

"Oh." Her eyes widened when she realized she was still wearing her tragic momento. "Forgot to take it off…"she muttered and started to pull at the snap.

"Okay, just doing my job," he chuckled. "What's your name?"

"Bella Swan," she replied politely.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Swan. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you," he winked at her.

"Well, actually. We are trying to find our friend, Rose," she told him.

"Rose? Hm…." He paused for a moment to ponder, when Alice ran over to grab Bella.

"Bella! We have to go to the third floor. 310." She yanked her up by the hand and shot the nurse a look.

"Thanks," Bella muttered as she was whisked away.

Alice linked her arm through Bella's as they made their way to the elevator. She smiled at her and shook her head; never a dull moment these days.

Bella felt like the walls of the hospital were beginning to feel too familiar for her taste. She had been here far too much the last few days. Smiling as they walked together, she caught the eye of the nurse that had helped her earlier and nodded.

"Bella!" the nurse skidded to a halt and rushed over to her. "Oh thank goodness you are still here! I must speak with you, I—" she glanced around to the rest of the group. "—I forgot to give you your test results. Standard protocol."

"Oh okay." Bella furrowed her brow in confusion and followed the nurse. "I'll meet you guys up there in a minute."

*****

Just as Rose was finally starting to drift off to sleep, she heard a light knock at the door and three pairs of shoes shuffling into the room.

"Knock-knock," Alice whispered, pretending to knock. Edward and Jasper cautiously entered the room behind her.

"Hmpf," Rose muttered as her eyes fluttered open.

"How are you feeling?" Alice asked in a soft tone.

"Like shit," Rose groaned. Alice frowned slightly and sat down beside her in the empty chair beside the bed.

"Where's Emmett?" she asked, noticing Rose was all alone in the room.

"Getting me food," Rose replied and squinted her eyes in pain when a loud ring went off in the room.

"Terribly sorry," Edward apologized, pulling his phone from his pocket. He excused himself and rushed out of the room to take his call.

After he had closed the door behind him, Alice leaned over and excitedly whispered in a hush voice.

"Guess what!?"

"Alice…" Jasper started, knowing what she was about to say.

"What? Rose should know!" She turned to him and waved her hand. Rolling his eyes, he smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?" Rose asked, looking very confused.

"Edward is going to ask out our Bella!" she squealed with joy and bounced in her chair.

"What?! No!!" she yelled and shot up, causing acute pain in her shoulder. "Ah fuck!"

The door busted open at her words. "I've got green Jello!" Emmett sang happily as he turned into the room. His face dropped when he saw that the mood in the room was significantly despondent.

Gingerly, he placed the Jello down, afraid his actions would set off whatever was going on in the room. Perplexed, he finally spoke up. "What's going on?"

Grasping the cup of wobbly Jello, Rose replied, "Edward wants to ask out Bella." before digging her spoon into the gelatin.

"Oh shit."

******

CN: what, the what??? leave a review! :)


	19. Chapter 19

Happy Easter!

Last Chapter's reviews were hilarious. I think the most commonly used phrase was "WTF!?" lol. i love it.

*****

"Wait- will someone please explain what's going on here?" Alice cried in a hushed voice. "And quickly?"

Rose rolled her eyes and glanced over to Emmett, who let out a long sigh.

"Look. It's like I told Rose before, Edward's my guy, but I care a lot about Bella too…and well, he has a bit of a past with some of the female employees…" he trailed off.

"Well that must be why he asked us permission to date her first. He said he thought Bella was concerned others might think she was sleeping her way to the top," Alice explained dramatically, her hands flailing about as she spoke. "So I think his intentions are obviously good," she finished.

Emmett pursed his lips and crossed his arms across his chest. "I—I don't even know what to say. Why wouldn't he talk to me of all people?"

"Maybe he's afraid of how you'd react?" Alice suggested timidly.

"Hey, what about Jacob?" Rose asked as she licked the remaining green jello from her spoon. "Last time I checked, I thought Bella was seeing him?"

Alice let out a light giggle and glanced over to Jasper, who had been standing mysteriously in the corner of the room observing it all.

"I don't think we'll be seeing much of Jacob anymore. He didn't want to come looking for you, thought it would damage his career or some bullshit like that. So, Bella stood her ground, for the both of you and kicked that SOB to the curb," Alice explained to her friend.

"Damn," was all Rose could reply.

There was a slight knock on the door and the four of them whipped their heads around to see Bella and Edward enter the room.

"Hey, look who I found wandering around the halls," Edward teased. Bella lightly punched him in the arm.

"How are you feeling, Rose?" Bella asked, approaching the bed slowly and carefully. Rose set her bowl down and reached her arms out for a hug, which was something she didn't often do.

"Alive, thanks to you." She hugged her best friend tightly to her sore chest and felt the tears she had been trying to hold back well up in her eyes. "…and you too, Edward." She glanced over Bella's shoulder and made eye contact with him. He nodded knowingly. Rose kept his gaze for a moment, trying to search beyond the exterior shell. She knew Edward had a past; Emmett had told her that much, but she also knew her best friend. Bella was different around Edward. She had been the first one to notice it. There was something there, a spark, a flame, something just waiting to be ignited. She knew Bella; she would be hesitant, prudent and cautious about these things especially without the consent of others. If Bella needed the approval of her friends to find happiness for herself, Rose knew that she would help her find it.

Breaking the embrace after a record long hug, Rose brushed back the hair out of Bella's face and smiled at her. It was a smile that Bella had never seen before, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. _Lots of medication maybe?_ She thought to herself. But beneath it all, Rose wanted her to know that everything was going to be alright, even if she didn't know it yet.

Bella stepped back, feeling slightly awkward from everyone witnessing their intimate exchange, but was grateful for the distraction when a nurse came in to administer another dose of painkillers to Rose.

"Thanks for coming by everyone. It's really nice to see you all," Rose added to everyone else in the room, with a semi-droopy eyed look.

"Of course, sweetie," Alice patted her leg gently, watching as her friend started to wander off into la-la-land.

"Um…perhaps we should let Rose rest, and we can come back tomorrow," Jasper spoke up.

Bella agreed, feeling tired and overwhelmed herself. Emmett also decided to go home and get a little rest, a shower and a fresh change of clothes.

"Jabba," Rose muttered beneath her breath as they were making their way out of the small exam room.

"Don't worry, we are taking good care of him," Alice replied as she shut the door quietly behind them.

Walking back towards the car, Alice hooked her right arm with Bella's and pulled her tightly against her body. She smiled at her, as they walked in step together down the hall.

"Hey, Bella. What did that nurse want?" she asked, just suddenly remembering the incident.

Jolted slightly by the abruptness of the question, Bella tripped up on the flat surface of the resilient flooring.

"Nothing, it was nothing," she muttered under her breath.

****

Monday.

Edward grabbed his palm out from his pocket and scrolled through his emails. He already had dozens of them and it was not even nine am. He leaned back in his chair, as he had become accustomed to doing so frequently. Only this time, he just peered over to an empty desk chair through his sidelight. He had instructed Bella to take the day off since Rose was being dismissed from the hospital, and he knew she would need some assistance. Emmett had volunteered his services as well, but wouldn't be able to leave work until later that afternoon.

Edward tipped his chair back forward and pressed the power button to start up his computer. He needed to focus on work today. There was a lot that needed to get done. Slightly dazed as he watched the start up screen of his computer, Edward heard a light knock on his door, before his best friend stomped his way into his office.

"Morning, Emmett," Edward muttered. He watched as his beastly sized friend muttered obscenities under his breath before throwing himself onto the couch in his office only to spring back up onto his feet again.

"When were you going to tell me?" Emmett finally shouted.

Edward was slightly taken aback. He had an idea of what Emmett might be referring to, but didn't want to give himself up yet.

"Tell you what?" Edward replied calmly, crossing one leg over his knee.

"About you and Bella. I had to hear about it from Alice!" he cried. He had been waiting to talk to Edward in person all weekend, but his constant stay at the hospital had not permitted him to do so.

Edward let out a long sigh, and crossed round to the other side of his desk. He looked at his friend square in the eyes, searching, needing to find the compassionate loving part of his friend that he would appeal to.

"Emmett, I'm sorry. I spoke to Alice first, because she's Bella's oldest friend. I knew that I would have to get her approval, and well, if she had put the kabash on it, I wouldn't have had to worry you unnecessarily. Anyways, I was going to speak with you, but it seems as though Alice beat me to it," Edward explained.

"No shit, Sherlock," Emmett grumbled. "What about Bella? How long have you two been a thing? Or have you? Or is she just another one of your little conquests?!" he shouted as he closed the distance between them.

Edward tried to keep his outer composure cool as his friend got in up in his face. The realization that Emmett was large enough to be drafted into the NFL and could, rather, _would _easily kick his ass, was all too real in Edward's mind at the moment.

"Emmett, please, sit down." Edward nodded slowly, his eyes soft, yet firm. Emmett backed up a few steps and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm fine right here."

"Look, Bella and I—"Edward began to speak before pausing. He cocked his head to the right and thought for a moment. What the hell was he going to tell Emmett? He surely couldn't tell him everything; he didn't want to betray Bella's confidence. What was the line? Their lives had become so intermingled with reality and sneaking around that they had become grayed. "—well, we've…um," he fumbled around for his words. "We've gotten to know each other well through work, and some after work." This much was true so far, Emmett could attest to the fact they'd all spent a lot of time together the last few weeks. Edward glanced up again to meet the steel blue eyes that glared back at him.

"She's not just a conquest." His eyes pleaded with Emmett, trying to convey the sincerity in his words. "I—" Edward paused for a moment. _Do I love her? _He thought to himself. The thought hadn't crossed his mind. He knew that he couldn't get her out of his head. She was like an obsession to him, but love?

"I care a lot about her, she's very special to me," he continued. He was beginning to find his voice now. He noticed Emmett's shoulder muscles relaxing slightly. "I don't want this to be a big deal or some sort of scandal at the office. I just…want to be with her. I apologize I didn't come to you sooner," Edward finished.

Emmett let out a long sigh and scratched his head.

"Shit, man. I don't know what to say," he replied.

Edward pursed his lips into a fine line, trying to read Emmett, who usually wore his emotions on his sleeve. For once, he was not sure what he was thinking.

"What did Bella have to say?" he asked.

"I haven't had the chance to talk to her about this all yet," he informed Emmett.

Emmett nodded his head, not saying anything.

"Have you slept with her?"

Edward's breath hitched, trying to hold back a long sigh that would give him up. He had dreaded that this question might come, and hadn't prepared himself for it.

"Would it really matter if I had either way?" he replied. Emmett shot a look at him that Edward had never seen.

"Don't mess with me, man. Have. You. Slept. With. Her?" he said through gritted teeth.

Edward groaned and pinched his nose between his fore finger and thumb. The phone ringing on his desk behind him jolted him like a shock of electricity.

Keeping one eye on Emmett, he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Cullen, you have the Seattle office on hold," the receptionist informed him.

"Thanks, Denise. Just a minute," he replied. He covered the phone with one hand and looked over to Emmett. "I have to take this."

Emmett grumbled and crossed the room to the door.

"This conversation isn't fucking over," he gruffed before slamming the door behind him.

Edward sighed and rolled his eyes before turned his attention back to the call. He pressed the red hold button on his phone.

"This is Edward."

"Edward, darling, how are you?" Victoria purred from the other end of the receiver.

"Fine thanks," he answered curtly into the phone.

"Good. Whenever are you going to come back home to Seattle? We miss having you around."

"Chicago's always been my home. Now did you speak to their CEO? When's the meeting going to be?" he asked curiously.

"You know you really should be giving me a promotion for all the hard work I do around here, Edward," Victoria teased.

_Hard work my ass._ Edward thought as he rolled his eyes. Victoria had called him the other day when he had been visiting Rose about a potential job opportunity. Apparently, Victoria took the same yogalaties class as the wife of the CEO of the world's biggest coffee company, whose headquarters happens to be in Seattle. They had got talking over espressos after their last class, and Victoria was able to suggest C. Design's services on their new look for their next roll out of stores across the world.

"Let's talk after we land the job," Edward replied.

"Hmpf. We'll yes. We have a meeting with them tomorrow afternoon. I called you as soon as I heard from them." Glancing down at his watch Edward realized it wouldn't even have been quite eight am on the west coast. They'd have a little over 24 hours to throw together the presentation of a life time and nail this job.

"Great, I'll talk to the marketing team here and get together a few brochures. You work on doing research on the company, and some design concepts. I need to get a flight booked out of here ASAP. I'll call you back when I have more details." He wrapped up his phone call and immediately dialed the extension to marketing.

"Hello?" a sweet voice answered the phone.

"Charlotte, come into my office right now," Edward commanded and hung up the phone. He didn't feel bad; marketing department was used to the demanding requests the nature of the beast that was this industry required. A few moments later there was a light knock on the door.

Charlotte entered the office with a bright smile on her face and a notepad and pen in hand. A spare pencil was tuck neatly behind her ear. Edward had always assumed that she probably had a thing for him; most of the girls at the office did. She had never tempted him in the slightest.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked, taking a seat on the couch in front of his desk. Her back was unusually straight he noted.

"I have a pitch tomorrow in Seattle; we need to get together some dynamite brochures and a hellavuh presentation. I'm going to need to pull all of our top clients, cities we've done work internationally, list of projects. We are going to need to put together the following resumes to put in with the portfolio, myself, Emmett, Victoria," Edward rambled off the information as Charlotte took notes feverishly.

"What about Miss Bella Swan?" she asked. Edward snapped his head around to her, confused about how she'd know anything.

"What about her?"

"Isn't she on Emmett's team for all national corporate accounts?" she asked, confirming what they both already knew.

"Um…yes," he replied. He was hesitant to put Victoria and her on the same project, but knew it would be weirder if he didn't. "We should have her included, thanks."

Edward wrapped his demands to Charlotte and made another quick call to have his travel arrangements made. It was hardly noon and he was already on his way out the door. He'd have about a half hour to stop at home quickly to pack a few things before he'd have to leave to catch his flight. He hoped he wouldn't have to be in Seattle more than a few days at best.

He made it to the airport in record time and was able to make it through security quickly. It wasn't until he was in his first class seat he allowed himself to relax. He had only closed his eyes for half a moment, when he felt a presence beside him.

"Can I get you anything before we take off, sir?" the flight attendant asked him.

"Whiskey," he replied and couldn't help but notice that she was bending at an odd angle, as to display her chest right at his eye level. He felt awkward and immediately averted his eyes. He typically wouldn't have felt bad about something that trivial, but he instantly thought of Bella and realized that he hadn't told her he would be out of town. He shifted in his seat to reach for his palm in his pocket to call her.

"Here you go, sir." The same lady came back with his drink in hand. He waited as she slowly lowered his tray table for him and set the drink down gently.

"Is there _anything_ else I can do for you?" she asked with a wink. Edward shook his head 'no' and began to dial Bella's number, when the overly tanned and manicured hand rested over his.

"No calls allowed sir, we are about to push back from the gate," she said a bit more sternly.

Edward pursed his lips and tucked the phone back into his pocket. He'd have to call Bella when he landed.

*****

ohhhhh..noes.


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you to Rachelcullen77!!!!!! I love her, she rocks. :)

SM owns. not me :(

**important author note at end of chap!*

****

"Bella, I'm fine! Really! You do not need to keep pampering me like this," said Rose. She flipped over one of the blankets she had laid over her legs. Bella had her propped up in bed like a cripple or something. "Phew, it was getting hot!"

"Okay." Clasping her hands tightly together somewhat nervously, Bella watched over her friend. Gently, she sat down on the edge of the bed, so as to not disturb Rose.

"Seriously, you guys don't have to treat me like glass. I'm fine now, and I can still throw a mean spiral." Rose emphasized her point by trying to lift her arm to throw an imaginary football. The movement sent a sharp pain down her shoulder, making her wince and brace herself with her good arm.

Bella held her breath when she heard Rose's yelp of pain and reached over to help her ease the stiff muscles in her shoulder and gently lower her arm back down.

"Rose, you need to take it easy, that's what I'm here for. You only get your own personal slave for one day, so abuse away. But no football until you're better," Bella said to her a bit sternly, yet with a lightness to her voice.

"Fine," Rose grumbled. She hated being waited on when she was helpless, but hated being incapacitated even more.

"Emmett bought me more Jello. Can you get me some of that?" she asked.

"More Jello? You're not worried about getting an ass?" Bella teased her.

"Nah, Emmett likes my booty. I'll just give him a little extra something to grab onto." Rose winked at her.

Bella laughed and sat up to head to the kitchen.

"Sure, I'll grab you some. I'm also going to come back with a movie to watch with you in here. We can paint our nails and talk boys," she giggled, imitating the excited motions their other roommate, Alice, would have made at such an opportunity.

"Oh my gosh!" Rose laughed and whipped a small throw pillow after her as she exited the room.

Bella headed downstairs and grabbed some of the Jello packs that Emmett had bought for Rose's homecoming. He had been so thoughtful and attentive the entire time Rose was in the hospital. She decided on two packets and a spoon, and tossed a bag of popcorn in the microwave to eat during the movie.

It had been a crazy few days for sure. Edward had been nice enough to let her stay home and help Rose get settled back in, especially since Alice and Jasper were flying out to Atlanta to begin making their final preparations for the wedding. Bella could hardly believe that this day was coming. Amongst all the commotion, the wedding had snuck up on her.

Tapping her fingers to the rhythm of popcorn popping, Bella felt her eyes glaze over from sudden exhaustion of the weekend, and the busy weekend still yet ahead. When she heard the final beep from the microwave, Bella gingerly grabbed the corner of the hot bag between two fingers and scooped up the rest of the food in the other hand. She managed to grab a few videos from the front room and scurried back up to Rose's room.

"Back," she declared and fell against the bed. She tossed Rose the Jello and began to munch on the popcorn.

"Mmm…good. I can't believe I forgot how good lime Jello was," Rose said as she dug in. "What movies did you get?"

"I just grabbed a couple. You pick." Bella pushed the DVDs towards her to look at.

"Let's see." She flipped through the shiny cased boxes to make her selection.

"My Fair Lady, Chicago, Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, The Notebook, Zoolander—Oh! This one!" Rose handed Bella the box.

"Sure!"

"I haven't seen this one in _forever_," she laughed. Bella put the DVD in and snuggled up next to Rose on her bed.

Messing around with the remote to start the movie, Bella felt Rose's eyes on her. She glanced over curiously and furrowed her eyes brows at Rose—she looked like she was trying to be coy, as she licked the remaining goo off the spoon.

"What's up?"

"So…have you talked to Edward lately?" she asked slyly, peering through her lashes.

Bella felt herself blush a little, and choked out a cough. "Um…not really. Why?" Rose shrugged her shoulders and looked towards the TV.

"He did mention he wanted to come by later and talk to me though," she confessed to Rose, and quickly stuffed her mouth with a handful of popcorn. Edward had been adamant about her staying home with Rose, and even more so about coming by later. He said there was something he wanted to discuss and made it seem somewhat formal in his manner of speech. Figuring there would be no way to hide his presence in the house, she didn't think much of telling Rose this.

"Really?" She looked sideways at Bella. "Did he say what about?"

"Not sure, work maybe?"

"Hmm." Rose tried to read Bella's face from the corner of her eye and pursed her lips together. She knew what he wanted to discuss; Bella would find out soon enough she figured.

"What do you think of him?" she dared to ask as the movie began. "He is really good looking."

Bella felt her blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, which burned with embarrassment.

"Uh, yah. He's handsome." She didn't really know how to answer Rose's question without betraying too much. "And nice. We get along well."

"I bet you do," Rose muttered under her breath and turned her attention back to the movie.

It had been a long time since they both had seen the movie and forgetting how hilarious it was, they could hardly control their laughter together, as they watched the actors made fun of how dumb the professional models were. Rose loved the movie, and got a kick out of Derek Zoolander's many "different" looks, which was really all the same look. She often would fake pose her best "blue steel" for photos when the girls were being silly.

After that movie ended, they popped in another one. The girls spent most of the day lounging in Rose's room, snacking, watching movies and snuggling up with Jabba in between naps.

Bella had fallen asleep sometime late that afternoon and awoke to two sets of blue eyes staring back at her.

"Hello sleepyhead," Rose sang to her, holding little Jabba in her hand. Bella pulled the blankets tighter around her and groaned. From the look of the dark room, it was late.

"So tired," Bella groaned. She stretched her legs out under the covers and felt the stretch of her stiff muscles.

"You hungry?" Rose asked.

"I could eat."

"Good because I ordered us some Pizza. Well, Emmett's going to bring some by." She smiled at Bella.

"Oh perfect. That was nice of him. What time is it?" Bella pushed herself to sit upright in the bed.

"It's almost seven. Emmett was running late because of some project thingy, I'm sure you'll hear all about it." She waved her arm unenthusiastically.

"Where's my phone?" Bella asked, scanning the mess on the bed for her pda.

"Over here. I shut it off, because it was annoying the heck out of me buzzing every two seconds with emails. Sorry." Rose reached over to her bedside table and handed Bella her phone.

"Thanks." Bella turned it on and her inbox was immediately flooded with emails pertaining to a new project with a Seattle based coffee company.

"Oh wow, you weren't kidding." She scrolled quickly through the emails she was copied on, knowing she'd have to go through them again tomorrow at the office.

"When's Edward coming over again?" Rose asked.

Bella continued to scroll through her phone to see if there were any emails or voicemails from him.

"I…I…don't know," she replied. "I think he said after work, but we never discussed a time."

"You should call him, and maybe take a shower first too." Rose made a face and pretended that she smelled something foul.

"Speak for yourself." Bella laughed, pushing her lightly on the good shoulder.

"No kidding." Rose sat up and crawled out of bed. "I'm going to draw myself a bath. I want to be presentable for my man." She laughed and shook her hips as she walked into her bathroom.

Bella set her phone down on the bed after she finally finished going through all her emails, and let out a sigh.

"What's up?" Rose called from the bathroom. Bella glanced up and met her eyes in the reflection of the bathroom mirror.

"Just kind of weird. He made such a fuss over talking to me, and then…nothing?" Bella said quietly.

"Why don't you call him?" Rose suggested again.

Bella nodded and grasped the phone in hand.

"Okay. I'm going to head to my room to shower as well." Clutching the phone, she exited Rose's room and headed next door to her own. Falling dramatically backwards against the bed, she nervously dialed Edward's number. Grasping her hair, with the other hand, she waited as the phone rang, and then went straight to voicemail.

"_Edward Cullen, leave a message." _Bella hung up the phone before the message tone sounded. She found it odd that his phone was now turned off. _Why would he just disconnect himself from her like that_? she wondered. She tried one more time to ring his phone, just in case, but was greeted once more by the velvety tone of his voicemail message.

Admitting defeat, Bella tossed her phone against the soft cushion of her mattress and got up to take a shower. It was just what she needed to clear her head; a long hot shower. Bella scrubbed away the grim and achy muscles of the day until the water began to run cool.

Once she had shut off the faucet, the murmur of a deep male voice boomed from downstairs. Her stomach grumbled with hunger and Bella threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top, before heading down. The aroma of pizza filled her nostrils when she opened her bedroom door, making her stomach ache even more for sustenance.

She quickly followed her nose and ran down the steps, the roar of laughter echoed from the kitchen, particularly Emmett's deep chuckle. Bella cocked an eyebrow when she walked in to find Rose, who was only wearing a bathrobe, being fed pizza while seated in Emmett's lap.

"Hey guys, leave any for me?" Bella asked, announcing her presence to the otherwise occupied couple.

Rose giggled as she struggled to eat a long strand of cheese that was still connected to the slice of pizza Emmett was feeding her.

"Bella! We got a whole pizza just for you." Emmett waved her over to join and flipped open a box of supreme veggie.

She took a seat next to them at the table and picked up a thick slice of the pie, and took a deep whiff of the scent.

"Mmm…nothing beats Chicago style pizza," Bella muttered. She felt her mouth tingle with a hint of drool before she took an enormous bite.

"Whoa, easy girl." They both stared as Bella devoured her slice.

"Good, thing you got her a whole pie," Rose laughed and held up a slice for Emmett to bite.

It wasn't until after Bella had ingested two slices of pizza without stopping that she came up for air.

"Oh my gosh, now I'm full," she groaned and leaned back in her chair. She sighed and felt the heavy weight of the food in her stomach and closed her eyes.

"You ever hear from Edward?" Rose asked. Bella cracked one eye open to look at the cuddled up pair and shook her head, before leaning back again. She heard Emmett whisper something to Rose that she couldn't quite make out, which made her suspicious.

"Oh that makes sense," she heard Rose mutter back.

Sensing that she was the topic of their whispered gossip, Bella sat up in her chair and looked across the table to her friends.

"What's up, guys?" Bella asked.

Opening her mouth to speak first, Rose glanced over to Emmett as she spoke, "Oh, well, Emmett was just telling me that Edward is out of town."

"What? He didn't tell me that," Bella replied, a bit surprised by this news.

"Just came up today. Literally," Emmett told her. "You'll be working on the project with us, so I'll get you up to speed at work."

"Oh. Okay." Bella shrugged her shoulders and leaned back against the chair again to relax. She was relieved that Edward's mysterious disappearing act wasn't so mysterious at all. She had begun to think the worst, and that would've been bad all things considered.

"Um…there's something else," Emmett began.

"Em, are you sure?" Rose whispered, nudging him in the ribs. Bella sat upright again to see what was going on.

"Yes. She'll find out sooner or later."

"Find out what?" Bella asked. Rose sighed and climbed off of Emmett's lap to grab a chair beside him.

"Well, there's something you should know about Edward," he began. Bella narrowed her eyes suspiciously at them, there had been a lot of talk about Edward today and she was beginning to wonder what was not being said.

"Okay?"

"Well, it's just that…." Emmett struggled to find his words to begin.

"—We know," Rose interrupted.

"Know what?" Bella asked cautiously, not wanting to give anything away yet.

"We know that he likes you," Rose continued. Bella let out a quite sigh of relief.

"Oh." She felt her cheeks blush. "I knew that too," she said softly and glanced down.

"Welllll, there's something _else_ I was hoping to say." Emmett ran his hand through his short hair. "Edward has a bit of a dodgy past at the company, when it comes to women."

"Okay…" Bella replied, wanting him to continue. She already knew that Edward had had his fair share of transgressions at the office. Stuff got around quickly there.

"I'm sure you heard about him and Aro's wife?"

"No, why?"

"Well, you might have heard of Volterra at least."

"Yeah sure, the design firm."

"Right, well, Aro used to be one of the partners at C. Design, that is, until Edward had an affair with his wife. It got pretty messy; Carlisle had to buy out his shares for Edward when Aro left. He should've let Edward go, but was merciful and sent him off to Seattle to help get that branch up and running. Let's just say it was the low point in Edward's parade of debauchery. He didn't even visit Chicago at all, until Carlisle had him move back."

"Oh, wow." Bella was stunned, unsure of how to react. Was she just another notch on his bedpost? A conquest? Now that Jacob was out of the picture, was Edward no longer interested? The thought had dared to cross her mind before, but she hadn't allowed herself to think it. She couldn't. She sat silently as the wheels churned in her head.

"Well, just thought you should hear it from a friend first. Edward's a great guy. He's my boy and I love him to death, but I just want you to be careful, Bella."

"Thanks." Bella nodded to Emmett. She knew that he meant well in telling her, but the fact of the matter was, she had a lot thinking to do.

"I think I'm going to head up stairs, are you guys going to be okay?"

Rose nodded and glanced seductively over to Emmett.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll make sure Rose gets to bed alright." He smiled.

*****

As soon as the plane hit the tarmac Edward was itching to get his phone out. Once he was allowed, he immediately began to dial. The phone rang several times until it got Bella's voice mail.

"_Hey, you've reached Bella Swan. Please leave me a message." _

"Hey Bella, it's Edward. Sorry I didn't call you sooner. I had to fly out of town to Seattle for a meeting tomorrow. I—I still want to talk to you though. Um…ah, just, give me a call when you have a chance I guess."

Edward groaned; with the time difference, it would be well after he said he was going to come by in Chicago. He had been hoping and planning to finally once and for all ask out Bella. He wasn't going to take 'no' or any of her other lame excuses for an answer either. He already had Alice and Jasper's blessing. Emmett—he was another story. Edward was actually surprised that he had been as upset as he was, and somewhat relieved when the conversation had ended abruptly. Deep down, he knew Emmett would come around, he always did. Which led him to Rosalie; he wasn't sure what side she would fall on, Alice or Emmett's. Edward crossed his fingers in hopes she would see the light.

He considered the situation as the plane taxied into the gate, Bella hadn't really cared that people had known about her and Jacob. However, she was overly sensitive about what people thought about at the office, which made Edward realize he had one more phone call to make.

He quickly got off the plane having only his carry on and found a taxi to bring him to his hotel. He would be staying at the W Hotel; it was just a few blocks away from the office, so he could get there quickly. Edward also enjoyed the design of the hotel; it was visually stimulating and had a great atmosphere right in the core of the city.

As he waited to get checked in, Edward looked at his phone to see if Bella had called him back, and got a text message.

_Edward- call me when you're in. Let's grab a drink to discuss the project. –V_

Pursing his lips into a fine line, Edward considered the ulterior motives of this other co-worker. On the other hand, they did have a lot to discuss and he knew he couldn't exactly ignore her.

_I'm just checking in. Meet me in the W hotel bar in 45 minutes. –Edward._

"You're all checked in, sir. You'll be staying in room 2411." The concierge handed him his room key with a smile.

"Thanks."

Edward head round to the elevator lobby and made his way up to his room. He unpacked his suit first and hung it up so that it wouldn't be wrinkled for his meeting tomorrow, and laid out the rest of his things.

Feeling grimy from the plane, Edward decided to take a hot shower. The steam of the shower and the beat of the water felt good against his back. He lathered up his chest with bar of soap from the hotel, and found his thoughts wandering off to the last time Bella had him and shared a shower together. Her legs wrapped tightly around his body as he pressed her back against the cool tile. Her skin was golden, a hint of tan left over from summer with a pinkish hue from being under the hot water. The feeling of need and want that fueled their passion had made them inseparable. How could Bella deny what her body already knew? They were meant for each other.

Edward felt himself become firm as he continued to wash himself, and knew he'd need to take care of his situation before he encountered Victoria. He squeezed a drop of conditioner into the palm of his hand and began to slowly stroke his length. It was far too long since he had been with Bella; he had gone from feasting to fasting.

Gritting his teeth, he began to pump his fist furiously. He felt himself right on the edge, but couldn't quite make it over. Switching hands, Edward closed his eyes and imagined Bella's lips wrapped around his length, his cock disappearing in and out of her mouth. He felt his release creeping up just right under the surface and remembered flipping Bella onto her back and plunging himself deep into her core. The need to bury his cock in her wet channel did him in. He felt all the muscles in his body tighten as he pumped himself one last time, his release sprung forth in long, hard streams as he continued to rock his hips in a forward motion.

Feeling temporarily satisfied, Edward cleaned himself up and shut off the now cold shower. He still had a little time to get ready before he was supposed to meet with Victoria. He wrapped a fresh towel around his waist and eyed his scruff in the mirror, running his hand over the bristly stubble of this five o'clock shadow. He was one of those few guys that managed to pull of the scruff look; he knew Victoria hated it and opted not to shave.

He dressed himself in a pair of slacks and white button down; it was neither too fancy nor too casual. He didn't want to give Victoria any sense of false hope. He checked his phone one more time to see if he had any missed calls; still nothing. Letting out a sigh, Edward raked his hands through his bronzed hair. He noted he needed a hair cut when he got back, and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Hesitating, his thumb hovered over the buttons on his key pad as he tried to muster up the courage to make another call. Realizing the inevitable, he began to punch in the number he knew all too well.

Almost wanting to hang up when he heard the first ring, Edward felt his thumb drift towards the 'end' button, before he heard a voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey." Edward cleared his throat. "How's it going?"

"Good. What's going on with you, Edward?"

"Not too much. Just here in Seattle," he replied.

"Right. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think so. I still have to go over a few things."

"Good, well let me know if you need anything. This could be a great win for us. I'm here to help if you need me," the voice on the other end replied.

"Thanks, Dad," he said sincerely. He didn't know what to say next, they were never much for deep phone conversations.

"Hey, um. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," Edward managed to stammer out. Feeling nervous all of a sudden, he felt the phone slide in his balmy hands.

"Okay, what's on your mind?" Carlisle asked in a flat tone. Edward couldn't tell if he knew what he was going to say already or not. Sometimes Carlisle had a tendency to find out about things one way or the other; he was like the all-knowing OZ.

"Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up. I am seeing, well, hoping to start seeing Bella," he confessed.

"I see."

Edward paused before he spoke again, unsure of how his dad was really taking the news.

"Yeah, well, just thought you should know."

"So, let me get this straight. You want to start seeing her? But you're not yet?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, well. She's aware I'm interested, obviously. But has been a bit apprehensive, considering her position with the company and mine."

"Explain."

"She doesn't want people thinking that she's only successful, because she's seeing the boss. But, I know she's not. It doesn't matter what those shitheads think. She's brilliant enough without anyone's help."

"That's a fair concern for her to have I would say," Carlisle replied. "I would consider the cost for a moment. As you know, things can get messy for you and your office affairs. I'm just thinking about the best for both of you."

Edward groaned and fell back against the bed and let out a long sigh. He _had _considered the cost. Was it as great for him as Bella? No. He knew she would be the one ridiculed and gossiped about; there already were whispers going around about them both.

"I know…" he paused, his heart beginning to pound in his chest as he tried to convey to his father what he was truly feeling. Of all people, he needed him to understand. "…but this is different. Bella, she's—she's different. I—I love her," Edward confessed. He felt the words as they caught in his throat and the warmth of them as they rolled off the tip of his tongue. He didn't think the first time he would utter those words would be to his father, but he felt the power of them still the same.

"You love her? Wow…I had no idea you felt this serious about her. I'm astonished and happy for you. If this is how you truly feel, you have my blessing. Bella is a sweet girl, she has a good heart. I hope you will both be happy together."

"Thanks, dad. I really do." He caught the clock out the corner of his eye for the time. "Crap. Look, I got to run." he sat up on the bed. "Hey, thanks for talking with me."

"Anytime."

Edward hung up and tucked his phone back into his pocket. His heart was pumping widely in his chest with excitement. He loved Bella. _Loved _her. He felt alive as he uttered the words again out loud, but he felt like shouting it from the roof tops. He couldn't wait to get back to Chicago.

*****

AN:

Okay...so despite the fact i'm still crazy busy. you have to admit, I've at LEAST been cranking these chaps out like nobody's business. :) So, i'd love to hear your thoughts in a review!

and thank you to the lovely readers who have been sticking with this story all along and still reviewing. I love your thoughts and comments. You guys make me smile and laugh.

One more thing, then I'm done....

I'm curious at this point about one thing, and I would _really _appreciate your input. As I'm wrapping up this story (don't worry still several more chaps!!!) I'm considering two options and would like to if they are of interest to anyone beside myself. lol.

1- a sequel

2- a Jasper meets Alice prequel

I'm thinking the sequel is sort of necessary... i'm just wondering if people would actually be interesting in reading such things. You may have stronger opinions as I post more chapters. So feel free to speak up at in the in the future, should you change your mind. :)

I look forward to hearing from you all! xoxo!

*follow me on Twitter: Darkmoon2 *


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Obviously, I don't own Twilight. Thanks to Rachelcullen77!! xoxo.

Wow!!! Last chapters reviews were awesome. Thank you so so so much everyone! I was pleasently surprised to hear that so many people would be interested in a continuation of this story. So yeah! Good news for all. :)

So many of you are hilarious with your guesses at my foreshadowing...I REALLY wish I could say something to you! You know who you are, but -arg! I can't...yet.

Thanks for reading and reviewing as always. I love to hear what you have to say! Also, a special hello to my new readers!

*****

As Edward made his way down to the hotel lobby, his eyes were immediately drawn to wavy fire-engine-red hair.

Victoria.

She had her back turned to him, and he approached her from behind. As he closed the distance, he laid a soft hand on her shoulder. At his touch, Victoria immediately reacted; her back straightened, making her chest trust forward and her face lit up.

"Hey, Victoria. How's it going?" He smiled to her in a friendly manner and circled around to sit down next to her at the bar.

"Edward, darling, so good to see you. How we miss having you in Seattle." She leaned over to place two friendly pecks on either of his cheeks. Edward felt his cheeks redden slightly at the seemingly innocent greeting.

"Yes, well, it has been rather busy." He shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable. "Well then, I guess tell me everything I need to know about this client," he instructed, trying to get straight to the point of their meeting.

"Always business before pleasure," Victoria rolled her eyes. "Let's get you a drink first." She waved the bartender to come over to service them.

She got herself another martini and ordered a whiskey on the rocks for Edward. Once they got their drinks and settled in nicely, Victoria spoke up again.

"So—" She leaned over playfully and placed her hand on Edward's knee. "—How's my dear Eddie?"

"Quite well, thank you," he replied shortly. He gave her a fake smile and nonchalantly crossed his legs so her hand would inadvertently have to fall from where it was rested. He shifted his body towards the bar and drew a sip of his drink quietly.

"And please don't call me that, _Vicky," _he emphasized her nickname, knowing all too well that she hated it too.

"Hmm." She became silent, sensing Edward's distant body language. They sat side by side for a few moments, sipping their drinks.

"So, apparently the CEO loves to golf," Victoria spoke up again, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"Oh yeah? That's good." Edward asked curiously. "What else?"

"But don't let that fool you. Sam is a… different breed, certainly not the country club golfer type. He also doesn't like to be schmoozed. He's one of those laid back-coffee shop-walks around bare foot type. He's good people though."

"Huh…well, alright then. I can do laid back." Edward thought for a moment, considering his plan of attack.

"Right," Victoria snorted at his reply. "Well, this is why I wanted to meet with you. I know you, Edward." She turned to face him and placed her hand over his. "I know you would've gone in there acting like the "suit" you are and scared them off."

Edward cringed inwardly and pulled his hand away to reach for his drink.

"I can do casual, I _can_," he emphasized out loud, trying to reassure Victoria, but more so himself.

"There's one other thing you should know," Victoria added.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Sam, he doesn't really like to do things alone apparently. So the whole Board of Directors will be at the meeting as well, it's like four or five more guys. I'm not sure exactly who, just a little more people that we were originally expecting," Victoria told him sheepishly, and bit her bottom lip innocently. The action did not go unnoticed by Edward. He knew she was starting to pull out all the stops. His heart began to pound faster in his chest as his thoughts flashed to Bella back home in Chicago. _Bella! _He whipped his phone out to see if she had tried to call him.

Still nothing.

He groaned out loud and shoved the phone in his pocket.

"What's up with you, Edward? " Victoria asked him straight out.

"Huh?" he asked dumbly, and cocked his head to face her. Her lips were pursued into a fine line. She drew a deep breath through her nose, making her chest rise and fall dramatically. The cleansing breath softened the features of her face.

"You seem…different. Upset maybe," she said softly, and reached out to rub his arm lightly. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Edward replied shortly. He looked down at his drink and ran his hand through his hair.

"No, you're not," she replied as she caught his hand mid-air, and gently guided it down to her lap. "Do you want to go upstairs and…relax? We could order some wine and room service," Victoria asked suggestively, as she peered up at him beneath her lashes. Edward felt himself begin to blush a shade of red he never had felt before in his life. He gently pulled his hand away from her. His body was starting to feel those familiar feelings, but his mind was telling him to abort the mission. Choosing the latter, Edward made up his mind.

"No, Victoria. I can't. Besides, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Edward stood up from the bar and took out his wallet. "Thanks for the insight; I'm sure we will do great tomorrow. I'll see you at the office," he said quickly, and threw down two twenties to cover the cost of drinks.

Dumbfounded, Victoria stared at him, her mouth agape.

"Wait a minute—" She grabbed him by the arm before he could pass by. "–Seriously, Edward. What's going on?" She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. Edward could tell she was pissed off.

He shifted his weight onto his other leg and sighed, scratching his head as he tried to think of what he could possibly say to her. He didn't exactly want to tell her about Bella just yet, especially if they were going to be working on the same project. The fact that Victoria was so competitive to the point of never giving up was a strong suit in the company, but in the game of love…Edward would rather not see how that would end.

"I…I…" he stammered. "I'm just tired," he told her, hoping she would leave it alone.

"Seriously?" she asked him, knowing he was lying straight to her face. "That's the best you have?"

Edward just frowned and shook his head. "What should I say then?" he asked.

"How long?"

"What?" Edward frowned, slightly confused.

"How long, and what's her name?" Victoria asked, finally realizing why he had his fruit of the looms in a twist.

Edward took a deep breath and blew the air of his mouth quickly, making a motor sound with his lips.

"Since…. Huh…Since I moved back I guess? And I can't tell you that, you know that." Victoria cocked her eyebrow at him and paused to consider the situation.

"So…when you came to fire James, were you seeing her _then_?" she asked, wondering if Edward did and was capable of cheating. She was well aware of his past transgressions and knew that he obviously didn't oppose to the other guilty party cheating, when he was the "other man", so to speak.

"Well," Edward paused for a moment. Were they together, not really? Were they even really together now? Not officially…yet.

"No, not yet. Right after that though," he admitted, the memories of the Bears game rushing back to him.

"I see," Victoria raised her eyebrow and turned to the bar to attend her drink. "Well, then I suppose you and I go back to just being co-workers."

"I suppose so," Edward replied quietly, and shoved his hands deep into his pocket. "Look…we really do have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and today was…stressful…" He trailed off, remembering how Emmett had just been reaming him earlier that morning.

"I really need to make a few calls and get to bed."

Victoria tipped back the rest of her drink, and set the empty glass down on the counter.

"Well then, shall we?" she asked, standing up to join him.

Edward walked silently side by side with Victoria and led her to the front lobby.

"Do you need me to order you a cab?" he asked politely.

"No, that's quite alright. I think I'm going to go for a little walk." She smiled sweetly at him and held out her hand for a shake.

"Co-workers?" she asked, her mouth tipped up at the corner.

"Co-workers." Edward laughed lightly and grasped her hand for a firm handshake.

****

Bella's head swarmed with thoughts as she contemplated the situation she was in. She had a lot of questions, a lot of 'what if's?', a lot on her mind period. She fell back against her bed, and closed her eyes, she knew she would need to tell someone one, primarily Edward, what she was feeling. It was beginning to weigh her down. Bella didn't want to think about all that she needed to think about anymore. She wanted to live in the world of denial a little longer, a dreamless sleep where nothing mattered.

Her bedroom seemed unusually dark and cool to Bella; her eyes felt heavy despite the ample amount of rest her body had gotten that day. Off in the distance, she could hear the low rumble of thunder; a storm was coming in. Crawling up her bed, Bella tucked herself underneath the sheets of the bed. There was nothing better in the world to her than curling up under her covers during a thunderstorm. She nestled herself in tightly, her body curled up into a little ball. The bed always felt unusually big when she slept alone these days. She turned herself away from Edward's side of the bed, towards her nightstand. _Edward's side of the bed. _She smiled to herself and considered the thought. Did she want to be with him? Now that everyone knew about his intentions, what was the big deal? _Did she really have a choice_…she pondered. Her thoughts began to drift off into the deep spiral of 'what if's?' once more.

Willing herself into a dreamless sleep, Bella was distracted by the constant flashing of a light from beneath the thin skin of her eye lid. Squinting, Bella cracked one eye open and reached over to grab her phone.

1 New Voicemail.

Punching in her passcode, Bella lifted the phone to her ear.

"_You have one new message and seven saved messages. First message left today at 8:38 pm." _

"_Hey Bella, it's Edward. Sorry I didn't call you sooner. I had to fly out of town to Seattle for a meeting tomorrow. I—I still want to talk to you though. Um…ah, just, give me a call when you have a chance I guess."_

"_To erase this message press seve—" _Bella pulled the phone away from her ear and saved the message. She desperately wanted to talk, to hear his voice, but couldn't muster up the courage to dial him.

Feeling the heavy weight of sleep overcoming her body, Bella's heavy arm collapsed against the bed, her phone still held in her hand. She would call him tomorrow.

****

"There's just SO much to do!" Alice exclaimed excitedly as she was ushered around the clubhouse with the wedding planner, Jasper, both her parents, and his father.

"Yes, there is," the planner agreed and nodded. Jasper smiled and linked his arm with Alice's. He pulled her tightly against him and tried to bring her down a notch and ease her stress.

"It's going to be fine, Alice. Everything will be perfect and beautiful. But not nearly as beautiful and perfect as you," he muttered and kissed the top of her head. Letting out small sigh, Alice relaxed slightly in his comforting arms.

"I know, I know. I just wish I hadn't done this remotely. So many details to think of…."

"Speaking of which," Alice's mom spoke up. "We need to go pick up your dress."

"Oh my gosh, what time is it?" she asked, whipping her out phone faster than anyone could reply. "What? _Mom!_ We have to go!" She took out her planner to check her schedule.

3:00 final walk though

4:30 pick up dress

5:30 dinner with parents

"We will see you guys at 5:30 for dinner at Ray's BBQ right?" Alice asked, confirming their dinner plans.

"Yes of course," Jasper chuckled. He pulled her small body against his for one last hug and kiss before she left. His lips brushed against her cheek until he found her ear. "I can't wait to marry you," he whispered softly to her. He pulled her back slightly and noticed the twinge of pink in her cheeks.

"See you tonight."

****

Edward had a full day. This morning consisted of him and Victoria doing several run-throughs of the presentation. He really wanted to market the company as a family company, and not so much as a large corporation; this had been one of the loops he was thrown for after he had spoken with Victoria the night before.

After he had headed up to his hotel room, he had quickly dialed Carlisle and gotten his thoughts on how to correctly market the company to this particular type of client. It was an atypical client, as they usually had to pull out all the stops to win over loyal cliental. Edward was more than used to treating people as though they were king. He did it so well, that it was part of the reason he had propelled himself quickly to the top. It was his innate knack for business development that had helped make him valuable in the company, besides his last name.

As they chatted, Carlisle did a little background research on the company and found out that the CEO was actually part Native American, as well as some of the board members. Edward took note, realizing that those connections ran deep; they were like family to each other. So, he opted to market his business as such.

When the afternoon finally rolled around, he and Victoria complied the final market packages that Charlotte's team had prepared the day before, ate a quick lunch, and then packed up their things.

"Ready for this, Eddie?" Victoria teased him as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"Ugh, _please _do not call me that while we are in this meeting," he grunted. "And yes, I'm ready. The question is, are you?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, and gestured for her to enter the elevator car as the gold doors glided open.

"I'm always ready," she muttered seductively. Edward cleared his throat and stepped in after her, trying to pretend he didn't hear her, or her double meaning.

They stood shoulder to shoulder silently in the elevator. Edward counted the dings of each floor, as he waited to hit the ground floor, and walk out to their waiting cab. The meeting would be on the north side of town, not too far away, but too far to walk.

They arrived at the corporate office building, which was really an old canning factory that had been renovated, giving it that loft-urban feel. Edward made note of the juxtaposition of styles.

A roll-up door had been opened to expose the reception area to the exterior side walk, making the two spaces seem as though they were one. Out on the patio there were a few employees seated at café tables enjoying their coffee break on a nice fall day. The lobby floor was a sealed painted concrete; the ceiling was exposed with warehouse styled fluorescent fixtures, and the reception desk was centered in front of an exposed brick wall.

"Good afternoon," Edward said as he approached the receptionist manning the desk. "I'm Edward and this Victoria. We are with Cullen Designs, here to see Sam."

The stout, round woman smiled at him, and picked up the phone. "I'll page him to let him know you are here. Please, take a seat." She gestured to the seating area with 2 sets of dark chocolate leather chairs.

"Thank you," he replied. They sat down and waited as the woman spoke softly into the phone.

After a few minutes she perked up again. "Sam is ready to see you."

She sat up and walked around her desk to lead them the way. They walked down a short hall, and turned to the left, into a large conference room.

"He'll be right down. Can I get you any coffee?" she asked nicely.

"Yes please, black."

"I'll have mine with a little cream in it," Victoria told her. Seizing the opportunity, Edward and Victoria took a few minutes to set up their presentation, and lay out their brochures. Just as they had set the last one out, the door swung open.

Four dark skinned, dark haired, tall and built young men strode confidently into the room. The first and tallest walked up to Edward and reached out his hand.

"Good afternoon, I'm Sam. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you, I'm Edward Cullen. This is Victoria, she works locally out of our Seattle office here." Edward gestured towards her.

"Ahh…the infamous Victoria. Emily has told me so much about you." He smiled at her.

"This is my team." He gestured to the other three men who had helped themselves to seats around the conference room. They all settled in comfortably, one leaning far back in his chair, rocking back and forth. "Quil, Embry, and Paul." They nodded, and gave a polite hello. Sam took his chair at the head of the conference table, and leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table.

"I'd like to thank you all for giving us the opportunity to talk with you today. Before we dive in, I just want to give you a brief background on our company as a whole, and who we are as a company," Edward began.

"Cullen Designs was originally founded by my grandfather in the early seventies in Chicago. He opened up some of our branch offices here in the states while he was CEO. However, it wasn't until my father, Carlisle, took over in the mid eighties that the C. Designs really began to take off and become what it is today. We now have several offices here in the US and around the world. I believe that the fact that we do have a wide spread reach, and are integrated into many markets will be beneficial to a working relationship with your company, as being a corporation that reaches many cities and markets as well. And although our company can operate on a large scale, we are also very connected. We have frequent staff meetings with all of the offices, and work together through our Chicago office."

"How does that work exactly?" Sam asked.

"Our Chicago office operates as a "home base" for all of the other offices, and supports the staff with our production group. This helps ensure that all branches, large or small have the support they need to service our clients for every need they might have.

"I see… is it hard to operate like that at times? With different times zones?"

"Not at all. We are fully connected with our offices on the highest level of technology. We have specific staff that works different hours to support some of our office locations. The full integration and easy connectivity that we have with all of the other offices makes what might seem like a large disconnected powerhouse company;, really, like a large family. "

"So who will be working with us on this, if we should choose to pursue a business relationship?"

"That's a great question. I will be very involved in this project personally. Victoria will be the main contact for you here in Seattle, and will also be the local project manager. She will be supported by the Chicago office. One of our principals, Emmett, is the head of all national corporate accounts. He will be the manager of all future locations of The Coffee Room, implementing your standards with our company to insure that the same level of quality is met every time. He will be supported by his colleague Bella Swan as well."

"Can you explain that a little more?" Paul asked Edward, squinting his eyes cautiously.

"Essentially, this first project will probably take the longest, in terms of establishing design standards, etc…however, as we do that, our company will set up an in house set of standards, a template if you will, that the next time you have a new location or ten new locations, we are already five steps ahead in the process. We would not need to start from square one every time you have a project. This helps your overall cost immensely, because by saving that time, you save money on design fees," Edward concluded.

Sam nodded in agreement.

"I see your point, that would be beneficial to us," Sam told him. "I feel confident that your company would be able to support us from a production stand point. I also like the fact that your offices work together. We also try and make our employees feel as though they are a part of one large pack. I think our companies would work well together."

"That's great. I think so too." Edward smiled at the gentlemen seated before him.

"Tell me one more thing, Edward," Sam said as he rose from the table.

"Do you golf?"

****

lakdjflsdkfjasl!!! ---that's me being excited! okay next chap is done and beta'd so will be posted soon. Squeeee!!!!!

Next chap teaser: Smut (finally).

Please Review and I will love you forever. :)

Follow me on Twitter: Darkmoon2 say hello to me when i'm bored at work. yup. i got tweetdeck now! whoo!


	22. Chapter 22

Hey! SM owns not me! Thanks to Rachelcullen77 my totes awesome Beta. xoxo

Thanks for all the reviews! A lot of you are still a little concerned about Victoria it seems. :)

reposted b/c FF messed up my formatting.. thanks to for telling me!!

Chapter 22

Bella headed over to Starbucks to get her ritual cup of coffee. She felt slightly guilty supporting them, especially when she had just been put on a potential job for their top competitor. Figuring that the day they landed the project, and The Coffee Room put a convenient shop in the lobby of their office, she would make the switch official, but until then, Starbucks it is.

Her heels clicked over the marble flooring as she crossed the large, empty lobby. Taking out her ID, she flashed it to the security guard.

"Morning, Al." She smiled at the old man with dark rimmed glasses.

"Good morning, my Bella. How are you?" he asked her kindly.

"Oh… as well as can be," she sighed, slightly dreading all the work she would have to squeeze into a two day work week. Edward and Emmett had insisted she stay home and help Rosalie yesterday, and then she would be out at the end of the week for Alice's wedding in Georgia. The thought drifted her back to thoughts of Edward. She had meant to call him in the morning, but then realized that it would be at least two hours earlier on the west coast. So, she decided to wait until later.

The elevator ride up the twenty-third floor was surprisingly quiet. The cool air swirled around her, and she felt herself shiver as the memory of their elevator encounter came rushing back to her. The touch of his finger lightly grazing the back of her thigh; Bella moaned, her body missing the touch of his skin. She felt the need boiling inside her and longed to know when he would be returning to Chicago.

She was whisked from her fantasies when the elevator door swung open. Making her way down the long corridor, she found her desk, which had been covered in papers since last week. Grunting, Bella set her bag down and began to sort through the mess in search of finding the surface of her desk, and began to work. There were several stacks of billings and brochures; loads of information on The Coffee Shop, no doubt some light reading the executive team wanted her to do in order to be the most knowledgeable person on their product and corporate culture.

After she had made several organized piles of papers, she was able to fire up her computer and filter though her inbox of emails. By the time Bella was done catching up, she realized that it was already lunch time. Forgetting to bring a lunch, she grabbed her purse and opted to hit up one of the nearby sandwich shops.

Feeling like having some company, Bella headed over to Emmett's office and knocked on the door twice.

"Come in!" the deep voice called.

Bella turned the handle slowly and pushed the door open about two feet to peek her head in.

"Hey, I'm going to grab some lunch, do you want to join me?" she asked him.

"Hey, Bella!" Emmett smiled at her. "Come in." He waved her to enter the office, and at his cue, she slowly pushed the door open, taking a few small steps into the room. "I would actually love to, but I am going to be stopping by your apartment to check on Rose and eat a quick lunch with her. Do you want to come with me?" he asked her.

Bella shifted her weight to the other foot, and tucked her wallet under her arm.

"Oh, no. Thanks though, that's really nice of you. I think I'll just pick something up and bring it back here. I've got a lot to do the next two days." Bella frowned slightly, thinking of all the work.

"That's fine. I understand, speaking of which, Edward and Victoria have their meeting later this afternoon, we should hopefully hear back from them later about how that went," Emmett informed her. He picked up his phone and began to scroll through his emails. "Kind of hope we get that project, it would be great to work on. Except I wish they weren't headquartered out of Seattle…"

"Why's that?" Bella asked curiously.

"Ah, nothing really… just don't care much for Victoria. But you didn't hear that from me." He winked at her and smiled.

"Hm," Bella pursed her lips, wondering what was wrong with her; Emmett seemed to like everyone. "Well, I'm going to head out then." She gestured towards the door with her thumb.

"Okay. Talk to you later," Emmett replied.

Bella shut the door tightly behind her and headed over to the elevator lobby. She flicked through a couple of emails from Alice and Rose regarding last minute details of the wedding, and then jogged over to the corner sandwich shop.

The place was packed with people. Bella headed to the back of the long line and waited to place her order. She had decided on a soup and salad combo and took her number and stood with the rest of the customers to wait for her order. While she was standing in the pick-up line, she noticed around the corner Jessica talking to some girl from their company. She looked familiar, as she had seen her a few times in the break room on her floor, but wasn't sure of her name.

As the line moved forward, Bella inched her way over and could overhear part of their conversation.

"You have no idea about late hours, Jessica," the girl told her. "I was up half the night working on marketing materials for The Coffee Shop."

"The Coffee Shop?" Jessica asked. "Who's on that project?"

"Edward, obviously and Emmett. It's out Seattle, so Victoria and that new girl, Bella," she added.

"No fucking way. The new girl is on the project? That's not fair," Jessica complained. "It's probably because she's fucking Edward."

"Whoa, really? You think?" the other girl asked curiously.

"How else would she get promoted so quickly?"

"Hmm…I don't know. I wonder if she's aware of Victoria though," the girl added.

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked, her voice full of venom.

"Rumor has it that she and Edward were a bit of a thing while he was in Seattle."

"No…fucking…way…The red-headed slut? Gross. I bet he's out there screwing her right now."

Bella felt her heart drop and her head spin at the thought. _Who was this Victoria, and was Edward sleeping with her? Is that was he wanted to talk about? Was he ending things with her? _The worst imaginable thoughts rushed through her mind, making her feel physically dizzy.

"Miss?" Bella felt someone nudge her slightly.

"Huh?" she looked up to see a young man staring at her.

"Are you order number 21?" he asked, pointing to her plastic card with the number 21 on it in bold black lettering.

"Oh yes," she replied hastily and grabbed her bag of food and rushed out of the restaurant so that she would not be seen.

When she was outside, Bella gasped deeply for much needed air. Her eyes were stinging with the tears that wanted to come. She felt a lump in her throat and choked as she tried to swallow some bile back down. Is that why Emmett and Rose weren't being weird about Edward; were they trying to tell her something? That he didn't love her? What was she thinking…she was just another notch on his bed after all…what would she do now?

Jasper grasped the hand of his wife to be and smiled at her. Turning to face him, Alice beamed brightly and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. They walked hand in hand down the street back to the hotel, after dinner with their parents.

"Do you remember the first time you saw me?" Alice asked sheepishly, swinging their arms dramatically as they walked.

"Of course I do," Jasper smirked. "I was coming home from one of my classes, and you and a bunch of other weirdos were passing out flyers about the war or something…"

"Weirdos!" Alice smacked him lightly on the arm.

"What!? They were! So were you!" he laughed playfully. "I probably would've kept walking right on by, expect this sassy little brunette got all up in my face and wouldn't let me pass until I signed a petition."

"Darn right—" she smirked.

"—This sassy, pushy, little thing that wouldn't leave me alone," he teased. "I realized that this little pest was actually pretty cute, so naturally pretended to be interested in anti-war stuff and decided to go to your little meetings just to see you…it took all my efforts not to expose myself for being pro-war." He smiled and pulled her under his arm as they walked up to the entrance of the house they rented for the weekend.

"It's a good thing too. Or I wouldn't have given you a second glance," Alice finished.

"Well, I'm glad you did." They walked up to the front door and Jasper paused for a moment. "Look I know your friends are coming tomorrow, so I will be fighting for you undivided attention the next few days. Do you want to come up to my room for a little bit?" he asked her politely.

"Why Jasper, have I completely corrupted all your conservative ways?" she teased him, her lip curling up at one side.

"Maybe…" He pulled her in tightly against his chest and into the entry way, diving in for a deep kiss just as kicked the door shut behind him with his foot. He sucked her bottom lip in between his teeth, nibbling at it gently, yet playfully.

"Do you remember the first time we made love?" he asked her, pulling her back for just a moment, so they could manage the stairs.

"Do I? Are you crazy?" Alice moaned into his mouth. "That was the most fun I'd ever had in a library."

"Pretty sure we were much louder than we should've been." Jasper smirked and pulled her against his body as they tumbled into his room.

Leading her over to his bed, Jasper felt himself quickly whirled around and push back against the bed. He grinned to himself; he loved when Alice would take control.

"I want you to unzip you pants for me," Alice commanded. Jasper did as he was told, grunting at the relieved tension he had felt in his pants.

"Good. Now take yourself out, and show me how much you want me."

Jasper pushed his pants and boxers lower on his hip, and pulled out his erection, running his fingers proudly over his stiff cock.

Alice licked her lips; he had the most beautiful instrument, and she loved worshipping it.

"Now stay and just watch." She stepped back and slowly removed her dress, revealing a corset and garter belt, hooked onto her sheer tights. Running her fingers over her body, she trailed them slowly down between her thighs. Jaspers eyes widened when they reached her apex.

"You're wearing crotchless panties?" he gasped, tugging at himself a little harder at the discovery.

"mmmhmm…" Alice replied, slowly shoving the material to either side. She stood over him as she dipped her forefinger into her own juices, jerking at the touch. She swirled the digit deep inside and pulled it out.

"Look how wet I am for you…" She leaned forward and swirled the moisture onto the head of Jasper's cock.

"Ugh….Alice," he grunted, his hips jerking at her touch.

"Patience," she replied and crawled up over him.

"You know…since I didn't get a bachelorette party, I didn't get any toys," she said playfully, grasping him firmly between her two hands. "What do you think I should do?"

Groaning at her handiwork, Jasper tried to focus, "You can borrow mine…"

"Really?" She looked at his member thoughtfully. "But what do I do with this?" she asked innocently.

"Suck it, rub it, ride it…." Jasper groaned loudly as she picked up the pace. Leaning forward, Alice aligned his member with her clit, and grounded firmly against it; they both let out a loud cry.

"Like that?" she muttered.

"That's one way…" Jasper gasped as she rubbed herself back and forth over him. "It works better if it's secured in place though."

"Oh?" she looked at him with her big doe eyes.

"Here," he lifted up her hips and held himself in place. "Now try," he instructed. Locking their eyes with one another, Alice paused for a moment before slamming her hips down hard, taking all of him in, they both cried out.

"Oh fuck…you little cock tease. You're gonna get it now," Jasper grunted and smirked at her.

"Nice one, Edward." Sam applauded after he had teed off.

"Thanks, you're up." He walked off to the side and watched as Sam got himself into position. The meeting had gone exceptionally well yesterday. Sam and his team had been fairly easy to talk to. When he had invited Edward to go golfing, he couldn't reuse and had to change his plans to stay another day. Victoria had graciously backed out of golfing and had opted to go have a spa day with his wife, Emily. Edward was pleased that they seemed to be making a solid connection with them.

He stood quietly as Sam told a swing at his ball, hitting it much further than Edward's.

"Very nice," Edward told him honestly. "You're going to be a force to reckon with, I can tell," he chuckled.

They hopped in the golf cart and headed down to where the balls had landed. Edward was glad that it was only the two of them that had gone golfing. It would've taken all day if Sam's posse had come with and maybe a little harder for him to get to know Sam.

"So when did you meet Emily?" Edward asked, trying to make familiar conversation.

"Emily, ah my Emily…" Sam smiled to himself. "I actually used to date Emily's cousin a while back. We were starting to get serious, well as serious as can be at that age." He smiled and Edward laughed.

"It was when I went to a family event around Christmas time that I met Emily. I felt bad, leaving Leah like that, but I just knew…I knew Emily was the one."

"Wow…was that hard?" Edward asked cautiously.

"Yes, very. It was the hardest thing to do, but I knew that Emily was my soul mate, and that nothing would get in the way of that, nothing." He waited as Edward walked over to his ball.

"If you don't mind me asking…how did her family take it?" he asked and leaned over to line up his club with the white dimpled ball and swung. They waited as they watched the ball arch through the air and land on the green.

"Nice shot."

"Thanks."

"But to answer your question, at first they were a little hurt or confused. But once they realized that our love was real and true, they understood. Things with Leah are even okay now, she's seeing someone pretty seriously," Sam added and walked towards his ball.

Edward thought quietly to himself as he watched Sam position himself expertly over the ball; he didn't want things to be so complicated with Bella.

After Sam hit the ball near Edwards on the green, they walked back to the cart.

"So, who is the lucky lady?" Sam asked him as he climbed into the driver seat.

"What do you mean?" Edward furrowed his brows, confused by his question.

"I can tell…you have true love in your heart, right here." He patted Edward on the chest over the heart.

"Huh…" Edward paused for a moment; he felt he could be honest with Sam, that they connected on some level. "That obvious, huh?" He smiled at him.

"Yeah…it is," he chuckled lightly back at him and drove off to the next tee.

"What's the problem then?" Sam asked him. Edward was stunned again; Sam seemed to have a window into his mind.

"It's complicated," Edward mumbled softly.

"That's okay, my friend. I understand complicated, but if she's the one, then she's the one," Sam told him. Edward smiled to Sam and nodded wordlessly. Sensing that Edward had said all he would on the subject, Sam turned back to the game of golf.

"You're up," he told Edward.

Edward grabbed his putter from the back of the golf cart and walked over to ball that had settled on the green. He felt a little more comforted by Sam's words. He knew that Bella was the one he loved, the rest of the details would work out…right? Tomorrow he would finally find out.

Okay...so most of you were expecting BxE smutness...sorry about that, you got Jaliced! But Edward is finally heading back to Chicago! hooray!Each chap I get more excited for you guys...because I know what's coming next, and eeep! next chap will finally answer MANY of your questions! *cue dramatic sigh and graceful fall onto a chaise lounge*

With that said...Please Press Review!!! 3 you all!


	23. Chapter 23

Thanks to Rachelcullen77 for being my beta!!!

and now...another chap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bella threw her bag forcefully onto the couch and fell back against it, propping her feet up on the arm. After a long two days she was more than ready to get out of the office and just get away.

She heard the shuffle of feet coming towards her from the kitchen, and cracked an eye open to see Rose clad in a bathrobe and slippers.

"Rough day?" Rose asked her.

Bella replied in an unintelligible groan. How could she even articulate what she was feeling? A ton of work had been dropped into her lap this week, Edward was acting all suspicious; wanting to talk to her, then taking off to Seattle and not contacting her except for one lousy voicemail, her experience at the sandwich shop, and her own personal drama on top of that. Needless to say, yes, it was a rough day.

"Beer?" Rose held out a Corona to Bella and sat down on the edge of the coach. Staring up at the ceiling, Bella shook her head.

"I'll pass, thanks." Rose shrugged her shoulders and instead took a swig from the bottle.

"Are you supposed to drink that while you're on your meds?" Bella asked dryly.

"Probably not. Oh well," she replied and took another gulp.

"So what's going on? Emmett says you've been stressing like crazy over there," Rose asked her. Bella sighed and ran her hands over her face; her face felt hot to the touch. Where would she even begin?

"Uhhh…just so much to do," Bella groaned, not really feeling like going into much detail.

"Did you get everything wrapped up for the weekend?"

"I think so, and if not, oh well." Bella shrugged.

They sat on the couch for a moment; Rose took another sip of her beer and drummed her fingernails lightly over the neck of the bottle.

"I still can't believe our Alice is getting married," Rose confessed. "I can't even imagine that right now."

Bella sat up slightly on the couch to face Rose a little better. "What do you mean? What about Emmett? You two seemed to be getting along well."

"Yeah…" She took another sip and smacked her lips. "We do, but I don't know about _marriage_. I mean, how does someone know they are supposed to be with that _one_ person? Do I like Emmett a lot? Sure I do. Am I ready to run out and have babies? Hells no," she finished and took another swig.

"Well…you're just not there yet, Alice is. The marriage part at least…"

"Yeah, I suppose." Rose sighed. She stood up from the couch and threw back the last drop of the beer. "I'm going to go pack; our flight is at 11 am. Oh, Emmett offered to drive us, so we don't have to take the train to the airport."

"He did? That was nice of him." Bella stood up and grabbed her things to head upstairs to pack as well.

"Yup, he'll be here at 9 am. Well…maybe before that. He might stop by later tonight." Rose winked at Bella.

"Great…I'll remember to put in my earplugs," Bella muttered under her breath.

They headed up to their separate rooms to pack. Bella took out her medium sized suitcase out of the hall closet and tossed it on her bed. Picking out some cute dress outfits for the various events and dinners she would have to attend all weekend, Bella carefully packed her bag until she was confident that she had everything she might need. Lastly, she took out her bridesmaid dress and laid it next to her suitcase. She would have to carry it on to the plane in a garment bag to prevent it from wrinkling.

Exhausted from the long day, she took a hot shower and climbed into bed. She relished the quiet moments alone, knowing that the weekend ahead was going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Bella drifted off to sleep, hearing the whispered laughs of her roommate and co-worker. Her heavy eyes took over and she succumbed to a deep sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward felt the warm glow of accomplishment as his plane lowered towards the runway. His trip to Seattle was immensely successful. They had landed the account and Sam had agreed to partner with C. Designs for their next five locations. But all that was just icing on the cake to the personal revelation he had made while he was away; he loved Bella.

He had been aching inside to see her; wanting to tell her that he loved her and then ravage her. He even had daydreams of running up to her and wrapping his arms around her like some cheesy movie. Edward glanced down at his phone, his finger hovering over the power button from the moment the captain gave the okay. He had tried getting a hold of Bella several times the last few days, but always seemed to get her voicemail. He wasn't too sure what that meant and tried not to dwell on it. He needed to talk with her in person anyways.

The captain turned off the seatbelt sign and like a shot, everyone burst out of their seats to de-board the plane. Edward got his black carry-on suitcase down from the overhead compartment, and quickly exited through the gate. He scrolled through his emails as he walked down the long terminal of the airport towards the taxis and hailed the first one he saw.

_This was it, _he thought. Finally! No more having to sneak around, pretending like he wasn't Bella's. There was no more Jacob in the picture, Carlisle had given the okay, so had her friends, Emmett—

_Crap_, he needed to talk to Emmett, Edward recalled. That would work out too, it had too. It was finally time for Bella and him to be together. His heart beat out of his chest at the thought.

The cab pulled right in front of the office and Edward quickly paid and darted off through the lobby as fast as possible with a small rolling suitcase. He slid into the first available elevator and nervously paced as he rode up to the twenty third floor. _Bella, Bella, Bella, _he chanted. He couldn't wait to see her beautiful smile, her long dark hair; those chocolate eyes that made him swoon. _Oompah-loompah-dumpaty-dee. _He sang the intoxicating chant that had set him off for the first time in the very same elevator. Edward cracked a smile at the memory.

The elevator slowed and Edward ran out like it was on fire. He weaved his way through the rows of desks, looking for Bella. As he closed in, his paced slowed slightly at the realization she was not sitting there. _Where was she? _he wondered. Edward pursed his lips into a fine line as his excitement left. Her desk looked organized and untouched; the computer wasn't even turned on. He picked up a one of the papers on her desk to see what it was.

"Welcome back, Edward."

Startled, he dropped the page in his hand and whipped his head around to find Emmett leaning against the tall side of one of the workstations casually.

"Hey thanks, Emmett." He shifted away from Bella's empty desk. "Just checking out the budget report for The Coffee Shop," Edward continued and nodded towards the stack of papers.

"Right," Emmett replied and then shot up to his feet. "Hey, why don't you get settled into your office, I'll go grab us some coffee and we can catch up." He clapped his hands together like he was ending a team huddle and jogged off toward the break room before Edward could reply.

"Right," Edward sighed. _Here we go._ He walked a few paced over to his office, and opened the door. The room was a mess; he had left in such a hurry the other day. He rolled his suitcase next to his desk and fell back into the seat of his chair. He took out his laptop and waited as his computer started up. He quickly sent Bella another text message asking her to call him as soon as possible. He still hadn't heard a thing from her, and was beginning to think she might actually be avoiding him.

"Coffee, black," Emmett announced as he set the hot cup down on Edward's desk.

"Thanks."

Emmett strolled around his desk and sat down casually at the couch. Edward narrowed his eyes, unsure of what he was playing at. He had expected him to still be angry from their last conversation that "wasn't over".

"So, tell me; how was Seattle?" Emmett asked, taking a gentle sip of the hot coffee.

"It was good. Really good." Edward reached over and grasped the hot mug in his hand.

"That's good. I assumed your meeting must have gone well considering he agreed to partner with us for five locations," Emmett chuckled.

"That was some good news." He smiled. "Yeah, it went well. He had his entire Board of Directors at the meeting, which was a little intimidating at first," Edward admitted.

"Oh really? Wow…you? Intimidated?" Emmett laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, well…they were all so tall and big. You couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by people that size!"

"Bigger than me?" Emmett asked curiously.

"I'm afraid so." Edward winked and leaned back in his chair, taking a quick glance at his phone. "So anyways…" He drummed his fingers over the ceramic mug. He wanted to ask where Bella was or when she would be back.

"Hey look man, I'm sorry about the other day," Emmett spoke up as if he could read Edward's mind. He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows rested on his thighs.

"Me too, I should've told you," said Edward. "I just wanted to be careful with how I brought this issue up. I really care about Bella and I want this to work out with us."

"We were both wrong."

"I know…but bros before hoes right?" Edward winked at him. "You didn't miss a beat before telling me of your intentions to marry Rose."

"Ha, yeah, just don't tell her that yet. Took her half the flowers in the tri-state area and a furry kitten just to get her to date me, I can't even imagine what I'll have to do to propose," he chuckled.

"I think you're on your own there." Edward shook his head and picked up his phone again. The radio silence was beginning to get frustrating.

"Yeah… look the thing is, I…I was just concerned about another Tanya incident, and well Bella's a sweet girl. I didn't want anything to happen to her, especially since things are going well here at the office. You're like a brother to me, but dude, you have a past."

"That's great…and I agree. She's a great fit here," Edward replied, focused more on his phone than what Emmett had just actually said; the words took a few moments to settle in. "Wait, what?" Edward jerked his head up.

Shrugging his shoulders, Emmett raised his hands defensively. "Hey man, I didn't say anything that wasn't true or public knowledge."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows. _Say something? _he wondered. Pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, he tried to put all the pieces together.

"I'm sorry…I'm trying to catch up. You were worried about us, because of my past, right?" Edward stated more so than asked.

"Well…yeah?" Emmett replied plainly.

"So…then because of those concerns, you told Bella what exactly?" he asked slowly, the words spitting out, his jaw was tightening.

"Look…I thought she already knew, practically everyone does!"

"About Victoria?" Edward shot up from his chair. It was beginning to make sense now why she wasn't returning his phone calls. She was distancing herself; he couldn't let this happen. He should have been honest.

"Victoria?" Emmett looked at him oddly. "No, Tanya! Hello!? How do you think you could date a girl seriously and NOT tell her about fucking one of the former partner's wives, _at _the company she works for?" He sprung to his feet and waved his arm widely.

Edward stared at him with his mouth hung wide open.

"You know for such a smart guy, you act like an idiot sometimes," Emmett admitted.

"I was going to tell her…" Edward seethed, his face was beet red. Emmett had ruined everything.

"Well don't worry about it, she knows," Emmett told him and fell back against the couch and checked his watch. "I've got to get going soon, plane to catch in a few hours."

"What? Where are you going?" he asked rudely. Rising from the couch, Emmett crossed the room towards the door.

"Atlanta. For Alice and Jasper's wedding." He turned the handle of the door and turned back before leaving. "Where did you think Bella was exactly?" he said before slamming the door behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You're here!!" Alice screamed and ran across the front lawn to give her best friends tight hugs.

"Ouch!" Rose flinched away, grabbing her shoulder,

"Oh. Sorry, Rose," she replied and backed away sheepishly. Alice tended to forget her own strength; she was unusually strong for such a small person.

"That's okay." She nodded and rubbed her shoulder lightly.

"It's good to see you, Alice," Bella spoke up, and hoisted her garment bag over her shoulder. Jasper came around from the driver's side of the car and popped the trunk to get their suitcases out.

"Sorry I couldn't make it to the airport to pick you guys up, there's just so much to do!" Alice exclaimed.

"Oh no worries, how's everything going?" Bella asked.

"So far…"Alice whipped out her planner and verified the schedule. "…we've been keeping right on track. A few minor bumps, nothing too serious."

"Well, that's a relief," Rose said sarcastically; only Bella noted her tone and sniggered a little. Alice led them to front door of the house they had rented for the weekend.

"Wow, Alice…" Bella paused at the threshold of the door and looked up at expanse of the front façade. "This house is amazing."

"I know!" Alice beamed and grabbed her arm to pull her inside. It was an old southern plantation style home that had been updated.

"There are eight bedrooms, so you both get your own room," she told them as they headed up the stairs, Jasper following shortly behind with both suitcases in hand.

"Eight! This house has eight bedrooms?" Bella asked, astonished.

"Yes, well, I think some of the old servants' quarters and other "sitting" rooms have been converted into extra bedrooms," she informed them.

"Huh…who's staying at the house?" Rose asked, looking down the long hallways.

"You guys, Elissa, my college roommate, Emmet, and Jasper's other groomsmen, so just the wedding party. The parents are at a hotel by the country club." She smiled at them and opened the first door. "Here's one room for whoever should want it."

Bella and Rose both peeked their heads into the room. It was primarily white and blue country styled patterns splattered everywhere, a large four poster queen sized bed sat in the middle of the room.

"It's all yours," Rose told Bella. Jasper thankfully got to set down her suitcase. Alice escorted them down the hall to the next bedroom, which looked quite similar to Bella's. Feeling tired from the flight, Bella walked back to her room and lay down on the soft comforter of the bed.

"Hey," Alice poked her head into the room. "After Elissa gets here the four of us are going to head out for massages and facials, but she doesn't get in for another hour or two."

"Okay, I think I'm going to take a shower and get a little rest," Bella told her.

"Sounds good." She smiled and shut the door behind her.

Bella sighed and rose from the bed to unpack. The room had its own bathroom and a wardrobe for clothes. She hung up her outfits, so that they would not get wrinkled and put the rest of her clothes in the drawers. The bathroom was light and sunny, there was a large soaker tub as the main focal point, and an old fashioned shower head hovered over at one end of the tub, with a shower curtain on a metal track that would wrap around it. There was a small pedestal sink and toilet off to the side.

She set her things down, and turned on the hot water to start filling up the tub. When it had filled, Bella stripped off her clothes and climbed in. The warmth of the tub soothed her; she closed her eyes and felt her stress melt away. Then there was a light knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Bella asked, shifting bubbles over her lady parts strategically.

"It's Rose," the voice on the other side of the bathroom door replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

The door handle turned slowly and Rose crept carefully into the bathroom.

"Hey." She sat down at the edge of the tub.

"Hey."

"So…" Rose looked at her hands, for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "…I just wanted to check in on you. You seem, upset? You're not the usual bouncy Bella lately"

Bella felt her throat dry immediately. How could she even convey to Rose what she was feeling, what she was going through right now? Bella felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes, and her breath hitched. Blinking desperately, she gazed up at the ceiling to avoid eye contact.

Rose pursed her lips, sensing the struggling that Bella was having inside. She knew she kept things inside and didn't like to open up. Figuring it had to do with Edward, Rose reached out and grasped Bella's pruned hand in hers. She had saved her life, and she wanted Bella to be happy.

"Bella, please, what's going on? Is it Edward? Have you talked to him?" she asked curiously. Ever since Emmett had talked with her, she seemed…okay. But then work seemed to have spiraled her deeper into her black hole of silence.

"No," she managed to croak out. "I left my phone at home."

"What? Why?" Rose looked at her stunned.

"Didn't want to be distracted by…work."

"So, it's work stuff then? Is that why you're upset?" Rose asked again sweetly. Bella felt her lip begin to tremble. She felt like water getting ready to boil over.

"No…well yeah, I suppose work's busy too," she muttered. They sat in silence for a moment; Rose didn't want to press her; she would speak when she was ready.

"Look…if I tell you…something…do you promise not to judge me, or say anything?" Bella asked.

Rose nodded, "Of course."

"Okay…" she took a deep breath. "There's something you should know, well, you'll find out soon enough I suppose. After I found you in the lake last week, I got checked into the hospital for hypothermia; the nurses ran their standard tests, took blood samples it was no big deal. Or so I thought…" Bella told her.

Rose watched her intently as she spoke. This wasn't at all what she had expected Bella to be upset over; she thought that Bella had been upset over Edward's seedy past, and that she had a crush on him, or something trivial like that.

"So…are you sick?" Rose asked cautiously.

"No…I'm pregnant," Bella blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Pregnant!?" Rose shouted and lost her balance, falling back into the deep tub with Bella.

"Hey!" Bella shouted as Rose tumbled on top of her fully clothed, splashing water all over the floor. Rose whipped her sopping head up, panting for air, as she climbed out of the tub. Silently, she walked over to the linen closet and took out two towels. She tossed one towards Bella, and stripped out of her wet clothes into her underwear, wrapping a towel around her.

"Come on, let's talk in your room," Rose commanded and exited the bathroom.

Bella was shaking, partly from the surprise of Rose joining her in the tub, but mostly from what she had just confessed. Ever since the nurse had told her, Bella had allowed herself to believe it wasn't true; she figured that if she just didn't say it, or tell anyone, it wasn't real. But she knew that wasn't so, and it had been eating her up inside, Rose had seen that. With uneasy hands, she wrapped the fluffy towel around her body and stepped out of the deep tub, she felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body.

Seated on the edge of Bella's bed, Rose looked up to see her standing timidly in the doorway of the bathroom. Rose clasped her hands together and let them fall against her lap.

"So, I'm guessing its Jacob's then huh? That's why you dumped him?" Rose asked softly and looked up at Bella.

Slowly crossing the room, Bella came to sit on the edge of the bed next to Rose.

"No, I didn't know until after I dumped him…and it's not Jacob's. We hardly kissed, let alone slept together," Bella informed her.

"Then…?"

"Edward's," Bella told her, her voice barely a whisper. Rose let out a long whooshing loud.

"Does he know?" Rose asked.

"No."

Rose shook her head in disbelief. How long had this been going on? She racked her brain for signs of their affair.

"How long have you guys been dating? Is that why he's been going around asking everyone for their permission to date you?"

"We're not dating—wait? What?" Bella furrowed her brows and eyed Rose. "He's been doing what?"

"Uhh…"Rose stammered. "I don't think I was supposed to say anything about that, now that I think about it."

"No, tell me."

"He asked Alice and Jasper for their permission to date you, said that you wouldn't because you were afraid or something."

"Oh my gosh," Bella cried and fell back against the bed. "Why would he do that anyways?"

"Because he obviously likes you," Rose told her. Bella felt the tears rushing back, this time spilling over onto her cheeks.

"Does he? I don't know…I thought so." She stared up at the ceiling, trying to avoid eye contact again.

"What do you mean? Are you upset about what Emmett said?"

"No…I…" Bella's head reeled for a moment. Edward had been hot, red hot for her, their sex wonderful, passionate, beautiful, then bam! Just as she finds out she's pregnant and finally leaves Jacob like he wanted, he's nowhere to be found and running off with other women. "…it's complicated."

"It's going to be okay, Bella." Rose lay down beside her and snuggled up next to her. Bella tried to force back the tears and willed her shoulders to stop shaking involuntarily.

"I'm here for you, so is Alice."

"Please…don't say anything to Alice yet," Bella asked.

"Okay." Rose pulled Bella against her and hugged her.

"Thank you." Bella whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

Eee!!! so we FINALLY confirm that Bella is pregnant! I've been DYING to get to this moment, because several of you were wondering if that was the case....ahhhh drama.

Please review!!

thanks guys!!! xoxo - Dark


	24. Chapter 24

Hey guys! Sorry it took me SO long to update. I had some interested in a book proposal for a different project altogether, so that pulled me away for a bit. Please forgive me!

But here is the next chap... you may find it useful to re-read the last, just so its all fresh in your minds. :)

Thanks to my beta Rachelcullen77! xoxo

xxxxx

As soon as Emmett had slammed the door to his office, Edward picked the coffee he had given him, and in all his rage he threw it across the room. The ceramic mug shattered and brown liquid splattered everywhere, staining the white wall as it dripped down. He was furious. His hand was still shaking from the adrenaline racing through his body. He had fucked up.

With an uneasy hand, he picked up his phone and speed dialed Bella once more. Pacing across the room, he raked his hand through his hair as the phone rang several times before going to voicemail.

"Bella, it's Edward. Call me, I need to talk to you…please." His voice wavered slightly as he spoke.

"Argh!" He hung up his phone and chucked it across the room, causing it to break into pieces.

"Shit. Why the fuck did I do that?" Edward groaned. He collapsed in his desk chair and let his head fall against the hardwood surface. He slowly began to beat his head against the surface of the desk, as if trying to drum out a solution to his problem.

"What. The. Fuck." He chanted over and over again to himself.

There was a light knock at the door.

"Who. The. Fuck. Is. It?" he asked, still hitting his head against his desk.

"It's Charlotte…I heard noises, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay," she asked timidly from the other side of the door.

"Fuck. Off." He heard her mumble something and then shuffle away. Edward groaned, his head was beginning to hurt, and he collapsed against the desk.

"Shit…" he muttered. Without looking, Edward reached over to his office phone and dialed an extension.

"Carlisle," the voice spoke up.

"Uhhhh…" Edward moaned.

"Edward? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Everything," he said dramatically.

"Do you want to talk?" Carlisle sighed over the phone. Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll take your silence as a yes," he replied.

"Oh sorry…"

"You _did _call me you know." Edward groaned again loudly at his comment.

"I know…it's Bella," he muttered, against his desk. There was a long pause and then the click of the phone. Confused, Edward turned his head to see that he had been hung up on.

"Well, fuck me…"

A moment later, his office door swung open and Carlisle barged in. Edward's eyes widened at the unexpected intrusion.

"What's going on Ed—WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?" Carlisle shouted, pointing to the splatter of coffee stains and shattered pieces of ceramic and cell phone parts all over the floor.

Edward's head hit the desk again, and he groaned.

"I was fucking pissed," he said, his tongue emphasizing the curse.

"Pissed?" Carlisle shook his head and sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "What's going on with you, Edward?"

"Bella knows about Tanya, Emmett told her and she won't answer my calls. It's over."

"So you decided to throw your coffee against the wall?" he asked.

Edward shrugged again and looked down, avoiding his father's eyes.

"Edward…"

"Emmett had no right to tell her!" he shouted at Carlisle. Stunned, he took a short step back and narrowed his eyes at his son's outburst.

"That's enough!" He raised his hand, silencing Edward immediately."You need to stop acting like an immature two year old and calm down."

"But Emmett—"

"Emmett nothing. If you want to be with Bella, then you need to go tell her how you feel and if she still won't have you, then you need to understand that it's no one's fault but your own and grow up and move on. "

Edward felt his faced flush. "I can't."

"Why?"

"She's out of town at her friend's wedding…" he mumbled and sat down in his chair to sulk.

"So? They don't have planes that go there?

"I'm not invited," he seethed.

Carlisle squinted his eyes at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "You love her, don't you?"

"Yes…I do!" Edward cried, pulling the ends of his hair out by the roots.

"Then…what's the problem?" Carlisle asked, his arms collapsing at his side.

Edward paused for a moment and thought things over. He turned to face his father, and nodded.

"Fine."

XXXX

Once Elissa finally arrived at the house, the girls went and had facials and massages as planned by Alice. Bella enjoyed the fact there was minimal talking allowed during the entire process. After her confession to Rose, she had felt slightly relieved, yet overwhelmed. It's as though having to say the words out loud had actually made them real, and the fact that someone now knew about it made it even more so.

By the time they had made it back to the house, Bella was exhausted. The constant mental struggle to pretend like everything was okay was tiring. Rose had been casting looks in her direction and frowning slightly, as though she was a pitiful mess. Not wanting to arouse suspicion from the others, Bella just did her best to avoid eye contact with Rose.

When they got back to the house, there was a taxi cab in the driveway.

"Emmett!" Rose shouted, and sprang from the car as it slowed to a stop.

"Wow, she's got it bad." Alice laughed. Bella rolled her eyes and nodded.

"No kidding."

Rose ran across the gravel driveway towards Emmett's tall brooding form. As soon as he heard her, he turned and outstretched his arms to scoop her up, her legs immediately wrapping around his waist.

"Rose! I missed you," he said joyfully. He carefully spun her around in a circle and placed a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Me too," she muttered.

"Come on you two, let's get Emmett into the house," Alice giggled and walked around them into the house. Grabbing his luggage with one hand and holding Rose up with the other, Emmett followed them into the house.

"This place is great!"

"Thanks." Alice smiled up at him.

"Now Emmett, we have you up on the third floor, second room to the left…"Alice slowed her words as she turned and watched the pair making out in the entry wall, clearly ignoring her.

"They've only been apart a few hours," Bella whispered to Elissa, who was staring at them with her mouth hung open.

"….but maybe you'd be more comfortable with Rose?" she asked.

Emmett broke away from Rose, and smirked. "I…wouldn't mind, if you don't."

Rose responded by kissing him passionately back.

"Oh great," Bella muttered to herself. "I hope I remembered my earplugs."

"Well then, I guess we have an extra room," Alice noted, glancing at her watch and then back at her planner.

"Okay people, we are running a little behind. It's four-thirty and we need to be at the clubhouse in two hours!" she commanded.

The group nodded simultaneously and exited to their rooms. Bella was relieved to have few moments of quiet. She filled up the bathtub once more and hoped in to wash off the massage oil grim. She scrubbed her entire body over and washed her hair. Feeling well rested, Bella sat in the tub quietly for a few moments.

Nervously she ran her hand down from the underside of her breast, stopping right above her navel. Hesitating for just a moment, she continued to slowly run her hand light over her skin. The movement of water rippled between her fingers. She gasped as she steadied her hand over the lower part of her abdomen and splayed her hand across her skin.

"Hello there," Bella croaked out, her breathing unsteady.

With her other hand, Bella laced her fingers together over her belly and relaxed slightly.

She let out a long sigh, realizing she needed to stop running. She knew what she had to do. She had to talk to Edward.

XXXX

A little while later, there was a light knock at her door.

"Bella, are you ready to head out?" Alice asked from the other side. Quickly grabbing her things, Bella gave herself once last look in the mirror and straightened out her dress.

"Coming!" Bella pulled open the door.

"Oh! Bella, you look so beautiful," Alice gushed.

"Thanks," Bella blushed. She was wearing the midnight blue dress that Alice had bought her.

"You ready to go? Everyone's downstairs." Alice reached out and grasped her hand.

"Yup!"

With their arms linked, they made their way down the steps where everyone else was gathered in the entry way, waiting to head over to the clubhouse for the dress rehearsal.

Jasper turned slowly around to see his lovely wife-to-be slowly descending the stairs. Bella giggled slightly and blushed, as he eyed Alice up and down, his mouth hung open. She was wearing a simple white strapless dress, with a blue satin tie around her waist. Her hair was neatly styled and pulled back with a headband with a sapphire jeweled broach on the side.

"Wow," Jasper mouthed, unable to make a sound. Alice snickered and smiled back as she walked towards him.

"You look amazing," he managed to croak. Bella unlinked her arm from Alice, and let her take a step towards her future husband. Reaching out, he took both of Alice's hands in his and lightly kissed the back of her hand.

"Shall we?" he asked everyone, but still keeping his eyes on Alice.

"Let's do it!" Emmett whooped.

The guys escorted the girls out to their cars, and drove over to the clubhouse where everyone else would be meeting them.

Alice went over to greet the pastor with Jasper and their parents while the wedding party made their way through the clubhouse with the rest of the guests. The ceremony would be taking place outside on the lawn behind the clubhouse, with the reception following inside the banquet hall. There were already a few rows of chairs set up for the rehearsal.

Everyone found a seat while the pastor made his way to the front to address the group. He ran through the order of events so that everyone would be clear on what was happening. Then he had the wedding party practice walking in. Bella was paired up with Jasper's best man and Rose, of course, was paired with Emmett. They were followed by Alice and her father, who kept tearing up as he walked his daughter down the aisle.

They went through the whole ceremony one more time so that everyone was comfortable with what they had to do. Once they were finished, everyone headed over to a private room for cocktails and dinner.

"You not going to drink that are you?" Rose asked Bella, nodding toward the glass of white wine she was holding.

Startled, because she had been in her own world of people watching, Bella jumped when she heard Rose's voice.

"What?" She grasped at her chest. "No. I'm not…Alice gave it to me. I didn't want to refuse her, so I'm just holding onto it."

Rose smiled and took the glass from her and drew a quick sip.

"There. Now it looks like you're actually drinking it." She smiled at her. Bella chuckled, and glanced down to see a lipstick stain on the rim of her glass.

"Thanks."

"So…" Rose lowered her voice, and took a small step back, away from the crowd of people. "I've been meaning to ask you more about this...whole…Edward situation."

Bella sighed and drew the glass to her lips to take a sip, stopping herself just as she realized what she was doing and set the glass down on the tray of a passing waiter.

"What do you want to know?" Bella asked in a soft voice, her eyes still watching the crowd.

"How long? When did this start?"

"Ahh… a few weeks maybe. I'm not sure. It just happened. I think there was something there from the moment we collided on my first day. It's been a huge hot mess ever since," Bella muttered, as she recalled all the sneaking around, deceit, and literal messes they made. She felt her face flush, particularly from the memory of the maple syrup incident.

"So, when are you going to tell Alice? Have you talked to Edward about this at all?" Rose asked.

"I was thinking about waiting until after her honeymoon. She's got enough going on at the moment. And no, I haven't talked to Edward…I…" Bella felt her throat go dry.

"What is it?" Rose asked quickly. Everyone was beginning to find their seats for dinner.

"I think we are over. I…I think Edward is cheating on me. If you can even call it that, since we were never really officially dating," Bella managed to blurt out.

"What? That fucker! If you are sleeping with someone, that pretty much means you are together," Rose shouted a little louder than Bella would've liked, as several heads turned their direction.

"Rose!" she hissed at her.

"I'm sorry. Let's go to the ladies room," she suggested and grasped Bella by the hand to walk out into the hallway.

"How do you know this?" Rose asked when they finally had some privacy.

"I…"Bella sighed, trying to hold back a few tears she had been fighting. "I…overheard some of the employees talking about him and some other employee, Victoria."

"But you don't know if that's true or not, you just need to talk to Edward," Rose tried to console her.

"Victoria is on that same project as me!" Bella cried "And they knew about me and Edward too!"

"How?" Rose asked, slightly taken aback. "I didn't even know and it was under my own roof! I mean…I had some weird feeling, but I would've never have guessed this," she said, waving a hand in front of Bella's belly.

"Gee thanks. I don't know… it's that Jessica girl who manages to know _everything_ in the office," Bella said.

"Hmmm…well I can try and snoop around with Emmett—"

"No!" Bella shouted. "No…please don't say anything to Emmett yet. Please. Not until I talk to Edward when we get back."

Rose nodded silently, and then cupped her friends face gently with both hands.

"It's going to be okay. You have me and Alice to take care of you, no matter what happens," she told Bella firmly, staring at her straight in the eye.

"Now, let's go out there and get some dinner. Everyone is probably wondering where we are."

XXXXX

Edward heard a familiar ding and unfastened his seat belt. He reached down to his bag and pulled out a piece of paper and pen and set it down on his tray table. He had no clue how his life had become such a big mess, but he needed desperately to articulate a few things with Bella. He knew he wouldn't have a clue how or what to say when he would see her, so he wrote. He wrote down everything he was thinking and feeling, in hopes that when he saw her, he would be able to do the same.

He rubbed his eyes to wake up, as he had been up most of the night drinking in his problems. When he finally managed to pass out, he had to wake up a few short hours later to make his flight. It had cost him an arm and a leg, but he had managed to get on a flight that next afternoon.

In a few short hours, he would land in Atlanta.


End file.
